When we met
by T.N.Shiroi
Summary: Roderich is the frugal treasurer of the student council. Gilbert is running a one-man club to earn a free hundred dollar club fund. When the two feel attraction towards each other, what will happen? AU fic. Rated for later chapters.
1. Clair de Lune

**Hello everyone, this is my very first posted fanfic for my favourite pairing, PruAus. **

**_Bold Italics_**- Thoughts

_Italics- _Foreign language/Emphasis

"_Italics in quotation marks"- _Phone call

**I don't own Hetalia. **

**Enjoy.**

* * *

"Roderich, why are you so goddamn frugal?!" Gilbert yelled as he slammed both hands on the table. "We both know that each club is allowed to have at least a hundred bucks for club fees!"

The treasurer of the student council sat at his desk unruffled as his violet eyes swept over the documents before him, completely ignoring the silver head that was looming in front of his desk with snapping red eyes.

"Say something!" Gilbert screeched as he slammed his fist on the table again, causing Roderich to sigh with irritation and look sideways at Francis, the vice-president, who wasn't even trying to hold back his laughter behind the piled documents and folders on his desk.

"It is true that each club is allowed to have at least a hundred dollars, but your… club," Roderich said as he wrinkled his nose in distaste, "is inactive, and if anything, it should be abolished."

"Hey! My club is awesomely active!" Gilbert huffed as he glared at Roderich, who just rolled his eyes as he pulled a file folder out from his drawer.

"Very well," Roderich said skeptically, "Let's see if there's anything on record. Tell me the name of your club."

"It's My Awesome Club!"

Roderich stared at Gilbert's hyper red eyes with his tired violet ones. "I'm aware it is 'awesome', but what is the name of your club?"

Francis was howling with laughter when Gilbert looked at Roderich with confusion. "I told you already, it's 'My Awesome Club'!"

Roderich tried not to give Francis the satisfaction of seeing him slam his head on the table. He flipped quickly to the M section and found Gilbert's club, his lips turning up into a small smirk when he saw that aside from the club name and the date it was formed there was nothing else on the paper. Finally, he could get rid of Gilbert and his club, and get some peace at his desk. This childish banter had been going on since Roderich started his job as the treasurer and it was beginning to wear him out.

The brunette frowned as he remembered how mortified he was when he flipped through the accounts and saw so many useless clubs that just sat and claimed money. He brought up the matter with the president, Arthur, both of them deciding to cut down inactive clubs. Since then there were a total of twenty five clubs that have been abolished, but Gilbert's had somehow managed to escape the radar until Roderich overheard—well, who couldn't hear when he was practically yelling—that Gilbert actually had a club. Since then, whenever Gilbert dropped by to claim his club funds Roderich refused, even when he mysteriously obtained the signature of the principal.

"This matter will be passed into Arthur's hands," Roderich concluded with an air of finality as he snapped the folder shut, "Francis, you can see your friend out."

"Hey, Roddy, come on—" Gilbert started, but was cut short by Francis' hand.

"Come, _mon am_i," Francis said as he stood up from his desk, "I told you your club wouldn't last for a year."

"Shut up!" Gilbert yelled. "Roddy, we're not through with this yet! I'll be back! I'll be back!" He screamed as Francis dragged him out of the room, his final shouts muffled by the closing of doors.

Roderich pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, reaching a hand into his back pocket for his cell phone. Arthur wasn't in the student council office right now and he wasn't sure if he would drop by, so he deduced it was best to call. As soon as the call connected though, Roderich was met with a loud greeting instead of Arthur's usual "what now".

"_Hello there!"_ A happy voice chirped from the other end of the phone, making Roderich wince because of the volume.

"I believe I called Arthur Kirkland. Who are you?" Roderich asked curtly as any loud and obnoxious candidates swirled through his head. Gilbert and Mathias were in his grade but they both weren't really close to Arthur, not to mention close enough to snatch his cell phone. He found the voice somehow familiar and vaguely remembered a loud first year with the last name Jones who had such cheerful tone.

"_Arthur's kinda busy right now…so yeah, who're you?"_ The voice replied. Roderich raised an eyebrow at the rustling sound in the background. Did he just hear growling? And did that rustling sound belong to bed sheets?

"Pass the phone to Arthur." Roderich said in a warning tone. "I'm not giving my name to the likes of you."

"_Oh, __hello, Roderich!"_ The voice chirped after a second.

"How did you—"

"_Caller ID!"_

"Look, just give the phone to—"

"_Alfred F. Jones! Let go of me this instant you brute! What are you doing, tampering with my phone? I have a meeting to go to!"_ Arthur's voice screamed shrilly.

"_Aw, we know you like sticking with me Artie!" _

"_I most certainly do not enjoy your company so why don't you untie me this instant!"_

When there was the sound of the phone dropping on the floor Roderich began to panic. What on earth was going on? Should he find help? He clutched the phone and pressed it to his ear, desperately hoping to hear some vital information that would lead him to find Arthur and hopefully save him from this 'Alfred'.

"_Come on…just ten minutes?"_

"_No!"_

"_Five?"_

"_Just—umph!"_

There was a long silence that was filled with a wet sound. Roderich felt his face flush and he frantically pushed the buttons on his phone before tossing it into his cluttered drawer, which he didn't have time to clean up lately. He wasn't interested to find out about that particular area of Arthur's life and couldn't imagine Arthur being anything but strict.

"I'm back," Francis sang as he sauntered into the room and settled behind his desk. "Gilbert is set on getting his hundred dollars, so be careful." He reported with a wink.

"Francis, I suspect his club isn't even official." Roderich said as continued to read over other documents, "I don't care if your grandfather owns this school; it's no valid reason for letting such an irresponsible, childish and unproductive club take place in our school—"

"_Oh GOD, Alfred…"_

Francis's eye brow shot up and he looked around the room for the scandalous president, a devious grin growing on his face. Roderich turned bright red and nearly broke the handle of his drawer in his haste to find his phone. He _had_ hung up, hadn't he?

"So you like eavesdropping?" Francis said to Roderich as he grinned with glee, "it is not good, _mon ami_, it is thrilling, but not good."

"I was _not_ eavesdropping," Roderich muttered as he pulled out the drawer and dove both hands into it. Across from him, Francis' grin grew wider.

"_Heh, I just knew you'd like it when I do it like this," _Alfred's voice breathed, sounding heavy and laced with lust.

"_Shut up and just move, dammit!" _Arthur groaned over a squeaking mattress and a slick, wet sound that filled Roderich with shame as he dumped everything onto the floor in desperation.

"_Yes Captain!" _

"_Oh…god…right there…again…yes, that's it…"_

"_Arthur, you're so tight…" _Alfred trailed off into incoherent grunt.

"_Alfred…yes, yes, yes—"_

Roderich pressed harshly on the red button and sighed with relief, ignoring the horrified look on Francis' face.

"They are not done yet!" The vice president exclaimed as he raised both hands in the air in disbelief.

"I think that's enough," Roderich said as hid his blushing face, suddenly interested in the mess of objects on the floor. Francis just whistled before slipping out of the room, presumably to find someone to get lucky with, and left Roderich to clean the chaos on the floor. There were some some small packets strewn amongst the objects but Roderich didn't pay attention to them and dumped the objects back into his drawer, deciding to organize it tomorrow.

Roderich sat back behind his desk and tried to get back to work, but the phone call occupied his mind and he couldn't get rid of the sounds he had heard. How was he ever going to look Arthur in the face again?

Just as he was thinking about how to act like nothing ever happened the door to the office opened and Gilbert strode in, his anger wiped from his face and his red eyes as mellow as autumn leaves. He seemed to be nervous, as if he was preparing for an important speech or going on his first date.

"Roddy." He said gruffly as he stood in front of the treasurer's desk.

"Not now, Gilbert." Roderich said tiredly as he laid his forehead on his intertwined hands with a sigh.

"All I need is a hundred bucks."

"Even one dollar is sufficient for a club like yours."

"Come on," Gilbert groaned, "My club is freakin' official!"

"Francis made that official, not Arthur."

"Who gives a shit about freaky eyebrows?"

Roderich leaned back in his seat and crossed his legs, his violet eyes piercing into Gilbert's red ones.

"I would advise you not to talk about Arthur that way. Arthur is a very capable person and you should give him some respect."

The silver head gave a scoff of disbelief before staring at Roderich, his brows furrowing as if he were thinking about something. He then snapped his fingers and grinned deviously.

"You _like_ Arthur, don't you?"

"I am a man." Roderich said simply.

"So what, do you have a thing against gays?"

"Don't wriggle your eyebrow like that. I do not have a 'thing' against homosexual men." Roderich paused for a moment before looking at Gilbert curiously. "Are you homosexual?"

"What? Me? Gay?" Gilbert let out a guffaw before calming down, his expression turning serious. Roderich thought for a moment that a mix of worry and hesitance tinted the albino's eyes. "I don't know, never tried. I like girls though," He added with a lighter tone.

Roderich cleared his throat to get rid of the awkward silence that followed.

"Well then. Back to the main point, I believe I have made it very clear that you cannot have the one hundred dollars."

Gilbert surprised and annoyed Roderich by sitting down on his desk. "It was never about money anyways," He muttered with his back towards the brunette.

"Then why do you insist on having that money?" Roderich asked as he took sudden interest in Gilbert's voice, wanting to listen to it more. When he wasn't shouting his voice was pleasant to the ear, like velvet with a bit of a rough edge to it. He found himself wondering if Gilbert was a good singer.

"No special reason," Gilbert said as he gave a slight shrug of his shoulders, "I just like bugging you."

Roderich rolled his eyes. "Thank you for taking pleasure in giving me headaches with your shrill yelling."

"No problem," Gilbert said with a smirk before casting his gaze on Francis' desk, having probably decided to wait for the vice president to come back. Roderich continued to lean back in his seat, not bothering to tell Gilbert to get off his desk. It was the first time he had seen the albino in close proximity, and he had to admit he found Gilbert good looking. His hair looked soft, and when his eyes didn't have the usual hard edge in them they looked as beautiful as the sun set. Gilbert noticed his gaze and flashed a grin at him, his thin lips parting to reveal a set of gleaming white teeth, the canine tooth sharply distinct.

"I know I'm handsome, you don't have to stare at me like that."

"I was merely wondering why you look terrifyingly pale." Roderich replied as he turned his eyes away from Gilbert. "If you're going to stay here and wait for Francis you might as well help me." He added as he pointed to a large pile of papers sitting on the long table in the middle of the adjoining room.

"What do I need to do with those?"

"Staple them," Roderich replied as he reached down and rummaged through his cluttered drawer with the vague memory that he placed a stapler in there. When his hand found one Roderich gave it to Gilbert, who just stared at him.

"What? Don't tell me you don't know how to staple?"

"I do, but that…is that a condom?" Gilbert said as he stifled a laugh of wonder.

Roderich frowned. "What condom?"

"You know…that?" Gilbert said as he pointed to Roderich's desk, and to the brunette's horror he saw a tiny foil package labeled 'Strawberry flavoured' in front of him. He immediately recoiled from his desk, getting up from his seat and backing into the wall, his face flaming as the memory of the phone call ruthlessly pranced around his mind.

"That's not mine— I don't know how it got here."

"Dude, that came out of your desk."

"I don't care. I'll just have you know that the damned thing isn't mine. It probably belongs to Francis."

Gilbert grinned, his eyes suddenly blazing, and set the stapler down.

"You're acting like a virgin, have you never really used this?" He said as he held the condom up for Roderich to see.

"I am not interested with this topic, so I kindly advise you to drop it."

"You don't like using condoms?" Gilbert pressed as he moved towards Roderich. There was a weird feeling in the pit of brunette's stomach and he wondered what it was as he pressed his back into the wall, his head suddenly dizzy and his heart beat speeding up.

"Want me to demonstrate how to use it?"

Roderich stared at Gilbert, whose grin was feral as he ripped open the foil with his teeth and moved a hand to his belt. He surely wasn't suggesting to do _that,_ was he?

To his relief and ridiculous disappointment, Gilbert laughed and tossed the package back on the table. "You're blushing so hard, did you really think I was going jerk off in front of you?"

"This is harassment, Beilschdmit." Roderich warned uselessly. Gilbert was now so uncomfortably close to him, their hands almost brushing against each other, their breaths mingling with one another. He didn't know if he was expecting something or just feeling irritated when he made the mistake of looking into Gilbert's tantalizing red eyes.

The albino leaned in and closed the distance between them, pressing a light kiss onto his lips. Roderich thought he would be disgusted or repel the intrusion, but the kiss sparked something within him and he felt as if he was being bathed in the gentle warm and inviting sun, and unconsciously parted his lips slightly.

He felt his heartbeat speed up even more when Gilbert slid his tongue across his lips and finally engaged the two tongues into an awkward, slow, and hesitant kiss. After a few seconds Roderich began to feel impatient. He could feel fear from Gilbert. Now he didn't know why, but he was letting Gilbert kiss him, wasn't he? Then why was Gilbert acting like he was doing something wrong?

Suddenly, as if he was snapped out of stupor, Gilbert pushed Roderich away and turned around, hiding his expression from Roderich.

"Dammit, Beilschdmit, just get out of this room," Roderich snapped as he looked out the window, wondering what on earth just happened between them. Their relationship was nothing special, was it? Then why did he feel the spark of attraction, the speeding up of his heartbeat and the burning sensation where Gilbert touched? It was absurd.

Gilbert didn't say anything and left the room, closing the door with a soft thud. Seconds later the door opened again, and Roderich willed himself to stay in place, his back straight and his head held high, thinking that Gilbert had come back.

"Roderich?"

The brunette deflated, giving a small sigh and turned around at the voice of his friend. What was he expecting? This was hilarious.

"Yes, Elizaveta?" He said with a smile.

Elizaveta looked at him, her green eyes flashing with concern. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm okay." Roderich said as smoothly as he could. He tried to avoid looking at Elizaveta in fear that she would see the turmoil in him, and realized with utmost horror that the open condom was on the desk. He quickly moved around the desk, picking up the condom on the way, and promptly turned Elizaveta around.

"Now, is there something you need me for?" Roderich said as held the package in his fist tightly, hoping Elizaveta had not seen it lying on the desk.

"Yes, my mother asked if you would like to eat dinner with us today." Elizaveta replied as she looked at Roderich curiously.

"Oh, I have a council meeting later in the day, what time does dinner start?"

"Seven."

Roderich racked his mind for an excuse not to go. He never liked dinners. And he certainly didn't like Mr. Héderváry, who was infamous for his hate towards musicians, especially males.

"The meeting starts at five, I don't think I'll be done before seven because there are a lot of issues to address. Even if we're done before seven, there are a lot of documents and papers to deal with." Roderich said, hoping his friend would take the hint. She did.

Elizaveta laughed as she moved towards the door, but not before giving Roderich a playful pat on the shoulder. "I'll tell mother. Come over next time."

Roderich nodded and smiled, grateful for being spared from an awkward and uncomfortable dinner with Mr. Héderváry to find every opportunity to make fun of him. He held his pose for another few seconds, breathing a sigh of relief when the door closed. When he was sure that Elizaveta wasn't going to come back he crossed to his desk and opened the drawer, staring at all the tiny foil packages that looked up at him with innocence. He would have to bring the matter up with Francis later.

* * *

Gilbert stepped out of the room silently, closed the door with a soft thud, walked down the hall, and turned his head to see if Roderich had left the room, before he began kicking the wall viciously. He was being stupid, extremely stupid. Francis dropped by the classroom, telling him that Roderich was alone inside the office and he now had a chance to have real conversation with him instead of yelling his head off. He was frustrated that their 'real conversation' didn't go well at all. Gilbert growled with annoyance as Roderich's words echoed in his head.

"_Dammit, Belischdmit, just get out of this room."_

They were kissing! Actually kissing! As in touching their lips together and opening their mouths and letting their tongues search around! Even though it wasn't close to sucking each other's faces off it was a huge step closer to what he wanted, so Gilbert hated himself for being such a coward. He could have given Roderich a kiss that would sweep him off his feet, a kiss to remember— not a lame one that would be forgotten instantly!

It was all Elizaveta's fault.

The damn she-male talked about Roderich all the time, and now even Gilbert was infatuated with him, even going as far to argue with him for a hundred bucks for his club just to see him.

"Gilbert, what are you doing?"

The albino sighed as he straightened himself to meet the disapproving gaze of his childhood friend and first crush, Elizaveta, who had her hands on her hips. She used to call him "Gil" until she switched from her tom-boyish ways into wearing ridiculous skirts and grew her hair, an action Gilbert didn't understand until she told him about Roderich.

It was obvious she liked him a romantic way. Roderich this, Roderich that— she told him _all_ about Roderich to the point that Gilbert felt like he knew Roderich personally.

"I'm just kicking the wall, that's all." Gilbert said dismissively.

"Did you go to the student council office?" Elizaveta asked, suspicion gleaming in her eyes. Gilbert rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"Whatever."

"Gilbert, I believe we've established the fact that you are not going to get money and you should stop harassing Roderich."

"The little master never complained," Gilbert replied lamely. When he started high school he thought everything was going to be so awesome. He was going to school with his two best friends, Francis and Antonio, and Elizaveta had texted him saying she was going to the same school as well. But when he saw Roderich, everything just screeched from rosy red to gloomy gray.

Gilbert didn't care how awesome Roderich sounded, and he didn't doubt himself when he thought Elizaveta was just exaggerating everything about him, but just when he thought Roderich was a stuck up royal dipshit the dude just had to be a pretty boy with shiny sleek brown hair and alluring violet eyes and a damn sexy mole or beauty mark of whatever it is.

Elizaveta clicked her tongue, snapping Gilbert out of his trail of thoughts.

"We're friends, Gilbert, and I don't want to get mad at you for annoying Roderich. You know how I feel about him."

_**You don't know how I feel about him,** _Gilbert thought as he watched Elizaveta turn on her heels and walk down the hall, leaving him staring after her back as her long hair swished along with her skirt. Damn, those legs sure were nice. He wondered if Roderich appreciated them.

The albino walked along the hallway in a brooding silence before suddenly bursting into hysterical laughter and scaring the other students around him. He wondered what Roderich was going to do if Elizaveta saw the condom.

* * *

Roderich sighed as he cleared the paper cups off the long table. Arthur had arrived ten minutes before the meeting with a tall blond first-year (presumably Alfred) who he yelled at excessively and finally kicked out of the room, his face red and angry. Francis just grinned and made suggestive motions with his hands, earning himself the pain of a sound thump on the shoulder.

The meeting was full of the usual jabs and disagreements, and Roderich was thankful it ended peacefully, because he was tired and not in the mood to mediate the arguing and throwing around of papers and pens anymore. When he finished writing his report and checking the sums again, he handed it in to Arthur and killed time by staying in his reserved practice room, preparing to head over to the maze when night fell.

Hetalia Academy was a large school that covered vast acres of land, and it was a school that embraced all talents and strived to nurture its students to the best. Aside from the main building where all academic affairs were settled, the only other places worth going to for Roderich was the Arts building, which housed his private practice room, and the maze beside the gardens.

The maze was mysterious and enormous, rumored to be as large as five football fields. There was no tall building close enough to allow a clear aerial view of the maze, and most students got lost in it often enough that the school didn't allow them to go there anymore, despite the maze being properly maintained.

Roderich had found a house in the maze in his first year when he got lost as he ran into the maze as an escape. It took him a lot of time to find the house again, but Roderich eventually drew a map for himself and memorized the way by heart. Spacious and wide, the house consisted of two floors, three bedrooms, two fully furnished bathrooms, a kitchen, living room, dining room, a study, and what Roderich found most exciting—a spacious room, lined with French windows on the east side, with a grand piano sitting in the middle of the room.

After a few more visits Roderich came to the conclusion that no one else knew about the house and took it as his own. It was a quaint place where he could escape pressure, expectations, and studies, a place that belonged to him.

Or so he thought.

As soon as Roderich entered the house he heard the unmistakable melody of 'Clair de Lune' floating in the air and was immediately captivated by the soft, sweet, and gentle tune as he wondered who was playing. Careful not to make too much noise, Roderich gently eased open the door to the piano room and stood, partially hidden within the shadows, his violet eyes widening with surprise before drinking in the rare elegance of the figure before him.

Gilbert was sitting in front of the piano, his head bent and his fingers caressing the key, creating the wonderful melody Roderich was hearing. The moonlight shone in from the French windows, illuminating Gilbert's silver hair and showering him with a cool calmness Roderich thought the albino could never possess.

When the notes ended with a soft plunk Roderich couldn't help but let out a sigh of regret, causing Gilbert's head to snap up from the keys in bewilderment and embarrassment, as he had been caught doing something he considered "prissy."

"That was impressive," Roderich said as curtly as he could, reminding himself he was still angry over the kiss during the morning.

"Oh. Roddy." Roderich raised an eyebrow at the obvious relief but uncomfortable expression Gilbert showed.

"Do you like Debussy?" He asked aimlessly, trying to drag Gilbert's attention away from the failed kiss.

"What?" Gilbert asked blankly.

Roderich tried again. Maybe Gilbert hadn't heard him. "Debussy, do you like Debussy?"

"Oh, the crater on Mercury?" Gilbert grinned, "I didn't know you were interested in stuff like that."

"No, not the crater!"

"I get it!" The albino shouted as he clapped his hands harder than necessary. "The asteroid, right?"

"No, not the asteroid! And it's not Debussy heights either!" Roderich snapped before Gilbert could open his mouth. "You were just playing Claude Debussy's work, 'Clair de lune', from the Suite bergamasque!" The brunette hissed angrily in the shadows.

"Oh," Gilbert said as he scratched his head. "I dunno who this Debussy guy is, but I heard it from Twilight. Feli's such a sucker for hopeless romance."

"Feli, as in Feliciano?" Roderich asked, his attention divided at the mention of Francis' adorable yet sometimes annoying cousin with brown hair and brown button eyes, but he was more surprised by the fact that Gilbert seemed to know how to play by ear.

"Yeah…I guess it's not a surprise that you know Feli since you grew up with Francis." Gilbert shrugged.

"How did you know that?" Roderich asked suspiciously.

"Know what?"

"That I know Feliciano."

"Francis told me."

Roderich sensed a truth underlying in the statement, but he didn't push further. He decided to change the subject. "How did you meet Francis?"

"I met him in middle school when I was in the infirmary and he was hitting on the nurse—a dude though."

Roderich cringed. "That sounds like Francis. He tends to be a player when it comes to men, but a gentleman when it comes to ladies."

"Can you just come out of the shadows?" Gilbert spoke suddenly.

"I suppose I could," Roderich said with a sigh as he moved out of the shadows and into the moonlight, sitting in a chair adjacent to the piano. Gilbert gazed at him, something stirring within his red eyes.

"So, uh, do you know Lizzie?"

Roderich frowned at the question. "Lizzie. Who is she?"

Gilbert gave a guffaw before calming down. "Elizaveta Héderváry, the she-male, the archery club captian."

The frown deepened on Roderich's face. "Ah, I do know Elizaveta, but why the 'she-male' statement?" He asked as he wrinkled his nose, something he did when he was speaking unfamiliar words.

"Well, Lizzie and I are summer fling things."

Roderich raised an eyebrow and Gilbert licked his lips while looking around as if he was trying to compose an explanation that the brunette would understand.

"What I meant was— Lizzie and I meet each other every summer because her mom always brings her to my aunt's inn to chill out and I go there because I'm forced to do labor, but that's not the point— Was Lizzie always this lady-like when you met her?"

"Yes, I believe she was," Roderich replied as he tilted his head in thought.

Gilbert let out a snicker. "She thought she was a boy until she hit puberty, hence the she-male statement. If you look at her photos of when she was a kid, you'd think she's a boy."

"I find that hard to believe." Roderich said skeptically.

"Wait a sec, I think I have a photo." Gilbert said as he flipped through his phone. "Here, look at it."

Roderich blinked before recoiling in horror as the phone was thrown towards him, making Gilbert's boisterous laugh ring in the room. The brunette sat straight and cleared his throat before looking at the phone.

There were two kids in the forest, a small pale boy with red eyes wearing a black T-shirt and bright red shorts, a scowl evident on his face as he crossed his arm. The other one was Elizaveta. She was a head taller than Gilbert and was wearing a white T-shirt and green shorts, holding a grasshopper in her dirt crusted hands. Roderich could have easily mistaken her for any boy.

"See?" Gilbert chuckled as Roderich set the phone down. "I told you Lizzie's a she-male."

"Well…I suppose a lot of girls do admire her a lot." Roderich said as he walked over to Gilbert and handed the phone back to him, as if it would explain everything.

"Back to what I was talking about, are you friendly with Lizzie?"

"We are pretty good friends. Her mother is always inviting me to dinner."

"Dinner? Then aren't you pretty much her future-husband?"

Roderich stared at him.

"No, I wouldn't think that way."

"So you mean you don't like Lizzie enough to marry her?" Gilbert said; the hope in his voice not unnoticed by Roderich.

"Beilschdmit—"

"Gilbert. I prefer Gilbert, or Gil." The albino interjected.

"Okay then…Gilbert," Roderich said as he rolled the name on his tongue. It sounded awkward, almost foreign, but he liked it, and he didn't miss the way Gilbert trembled slightly when he said it. He sat down beside Gilbert and turned towards him. "I do believe we have an issue at hand."

"What is it?" Gilbert chuckled nervously, his eyes darting all around the room. Roderich clicked his tongue. For some reason, he wanted Gilbert's eyes on him and him only.

"It's about this morning—"

"Oh, no, it was nothing, it was a joke—"

Roderich narrowed his eyes. "It was a joke?" He echoed.

"Yeah, it was." Gilbert said as he gripped his knees tighter with his hands.

"Oh, I see. It was a joke." Roderich mocked as he leaned towards Gilbert, his violet eyes glinting in the moonlight. "I'm not stupid, Gilbert."

"You said you aren't gay." Gilbert said suddenly, and Roderich frowned, leaning away from him.

"I never said I was straight either."

"You're bi?" Gilbert gasped incredulously.

Roderich tapped his fingers on the piano bench impatiently. "Look here, Gilbert, I never said anything, so why are you interpreting everything by yourself? You kissed me, and I felt good, Gilbert, I felt _good_, but you just left me hanging. How do you explain that? You were afraid, and I don't know why, but why don't you just…" The violet eyes looked around the room as Roderich began to think of the right word, snapping his fingers when it came to his mind, "_man up_, Gilbert, don't make me fret because I don't know what's going on in your little bird brain."

Roderich rolled his eyes when Gilbert started at him with his mouth hanging open. He was pretty sure everything was easy to understand, but for the sake of clarity he moved a hand to Gilbert's neck and pulled him closer, parting his lips slightly so Gilbert would know what he wanted.

Gilbert surprised Roderich by grabbing him in a crushing embrace, his red eyes blazing with passion as his tongue ventured inside and tangled with Roderich's, making him jolt in surprise at the rough rawness of the kiss. Gilbert placed one hand possessively on Roderich's waist while he let another roam around his back and brush against his thighs teasingly.

This was nothing like the fearful kiss in the morning that left nothing but a bitter aftertaste in Roderich's mouth. This was pure passion and raw roughness that left him craving for more. Now _this _was what he wanted, and what he knew Gilbert wanted.

Roderich felt a warm, tingling sensation spread from his stomach to his limbs and fingers and toes when Gilbert let a rough hand sneak into his shirt.

The brunette bit back a moan of disappointment as Gilbert moved his mouth away from his, but soon sighed in delight when he felt Gilbert kiss the nape of his neck and scatter more hot kisses on his collarbone. His eyes fluttered open when he felt Gilbert rest his chin on his shoulders, his breath hot and rough.

"Which one of us do you think is a better kisser?" Gilbert asked with a low chuckle. Roderich raised a hand and patted Gilbert's back in a gesture of comfort.

"Of course it would be me."

"I'm the awesome kisser here," Gilbert retorted with a playful laugh.

"I'm sure you'll be in no time," Roderich said with a smile.

Gilbert kissed Roderich again, this time it was a slower, sweeter kiss. "Meet me tomorrow here?"

Roderich nodded. "I'll be here."

Gilbert got off the bench and pocketed his phone. "I have to go, 'cause unlike you, I live outside the school."

"The gates are already closed," Roderich reminded him, and Gilbert just smirked.

"I can get out anyways, or do you want me to stay here?"

Roderich blushed. "I'll see you tomorrow at school then."

"Okay."

Gilbert pressed a chaste kiss on Roderich's forehead before leaving him to ponder what had happened in the day. It was absurd, but deliriously wonderful.

* * *

Just as Gilbert stepped out of the house his phone vibrated. There was a text message from Antonio. The albino read the message before cussing.

"Damn you Toni, I really hate your guts now."

* * *

**Thank you all who read up to this point; you have all endured my poor writing skills ;)**

**Reviews are appreciated.**


	2. Salut d'Amour

**Again, I don't own Hetalia.**

**For the sake of this story everybody can drink alchohol. **

* * *

Just as Gilbert stepped out of the house his phone vibrated. There was a text message from Antonio. The albino read the message before cussing.

"Damn you Toni, I really hate your guts now."

* * *

Gilbert looked in the mirror. His silver hair had been slicked down with hair gel and he was wearing a suffocating white dress shirt that had been ironed crisp by his younger brother, Ludwig, and a black vest and black dress pants that was secured with a belt. He was also wearing a pair of lame white socks and hard black shoes that just made him look ridiculous.

"Don't forget your bowtie, _bruder_," Ludwig murmured as he handed the black bowtie to Gilbert, who snatched it with a growl and fumbled with it.

"Damn Toni for getting me into this shit, I was supposed to have a fucking date tonight."

"You have a date?" Ludwig said as he raised a blond eyebrow in question as he took the bow tie from his brother's hand.

"I _had _a date," Gilbert groaned as he let his brother fix the ridiculous bowtie around his neck. "Then Toni had to get me this stupid job as a waiter for some rich shit."

"You did tell him that you were running out of money," Ludwig commented as he gestured Gilbert to turn around, doing a three-sixty survey of him before nodding in approval.

"I know that, but I had a freakin' date, with Roddy! And it's our _first _date!" Gilbert cried out as he grabbed his coat.

Ludwig cracked a smile. "So you finally made your first move."

"Well, Roddy did most of the encouraging." Gilbert admitted, giving his brother a playful punch on the shoulder when he shook his head.

"Does he know you can't go anymore?"

"I got his number from Franny—god, that was so unawesome—and texted him, and he told me it was okay since he was being forced to go to some stupid dinner party too."

"I see. Anyways, be polite to the guests and don't make a scene if people stare at you."

"I know, I know," Gilbert snapped, "Stop acting like a mother hen."

"Whose fault is that?" Ludwig said as he patted his brother on both shoulders as he steered him towards the door.

"Okay, okay," Gilbert replied as he grabbed his duffel bag. He was going to stay with Francis tonight after his job since tomorrow was a Saturday.

"Have fun and work hard."

"I get it," Gilbert said as he turned to his brother with a sly grin on his face. "Just don't work too hard with Feli, if you know what I mean. He's coming over tonight right?"

Ludwig smiled at the mention of his boyfriend. "Yes, Feliciano is coming over tonight, and I will make sure not to overdo things."

"Atta boy," Gilbert grinned.

"Gil! Hurry up!" Francis yelled from the driver's seat of his car. "We're going to be late!"

"It's not like you're going to be doing any serving!" Gilbert scoffed as he walked towards the car, giving a brief wave to his brother before getting on.

"You waiters have to be there early, and I am kind enough to drive you." Francis said as he started the engine.

"Anyways, Toni" Gilbert said as he clambered into the back seat, "I love you and hate you right now."

"Why? I got you a job! Well, Francis got both of us jobs," Antonio pouted as he craned his neck backwards to look at Gilbert, his green eyes flashing with confusion. Gilbert glared at Francis.

Francis smiled. "Gil is just angry because his first date has gone awry, _mon ami_."

"Oh, you got a date with Roderich at last?" Antonio laughed as he faced the road again, "I'm sorry about that."

"I can feel your sincere apology," Gilbert gritted through his teeth.

"Well, _messieurs, _I hope you have fun serving tonight."

"Whose place are we going to, is it someone famous?" Antonio chirped happily, the wish of meeting some A-list star shining in his eyes.

"Unfortunately, _non, _you both will understand when we get there." Francis said with a secretive smile. Gilbert sunk in his seat and sighed, thinking about Roderich.

After they arrived at a mansion that was probably two hundred times larger than Gilbert's house, the trio split up; Francis going over to the lobby to talk to whoever it was that owned the house while Antonio and Gilbert headed over to the servants quarters (Do people even use words like this anymore?). The two were greeted by an elegant woman with a professional blouse and pencil skirt who showed them around.

Gilbert was horrified by how many stairs and steps there were and how large the hall was. The washrooms were two times bigger than his room, filled with gold carvings, miniature statues of classica gods and godesses, and floored with marble. In the ball room—seriously, The ball room? Like, who even has that in their house anymore?— there were long tables with pristine white embroidered table cloths draped over them, and in the corner of the room there were chairs set up for what Gilbert assumed to be an band later on. A glint of black caught his eye and he saw a grand piano next to the chairs, a sleek beauty that looked like it belonged to one person only.

The pair were led back to the kitchen and assigned their duties, and the long night began. It was the most luxurious and lavish event Gilbert had ever seen, but judging the way Francis didn't bat an eyelid at all it seemed to be a common occurrence. The chandeliers shone light onto the guests and the band in the corner began playing various tunes for them to dance to. Gilbert came and went from the kitchen, feeling irritated that he was being treated like a food stand where the people took food from without saying a word of thanks.

It was even more annoying when snot-nosed rich kids came up to him and stared at him openly before asking if he was trying to be a vampire. Most of the guests looked at him more than once, and one man with violet eyes and light blond hair smiled at him creepily and said "you are pretty, become one with me, da?"

If it wasn't for the stunning platinum blond that seemed to scare the man out of his wits, Gilbert probably would have been stuffed in the back of his car and taken away as some prize trophy. Was albinism that rare? Well, it was, but it didn't mean that people had to gawk at him like he was in a zoo cage.

Just as Gilbert was contemplating whether to smash the tray of food in some person's face, he caught sight of a familiar hour glass figure. He quickly scanned the crowd and realized that Elizaveta had come to the party, dressed in a simple elegant black dress that opened mid thigh to show off her legs, and smart heels that fit the event. Her hair was up and secured with bobby pins and she put on a bit of makeup that accentuated her beauty.

Gilbert raised an arm to catch her eye, but when he saw who was beside he felt like he was punched in the stomach, and doubled over from the mental blow. Roderich was smiling at Elizaveta, who had her arm linked with his. From across the room Francis gave him a warning look. Gilbert fought back the urge to kick the wall. Damn the Frenchman who knew all long. He headed back to the kitchen and met Antonio, who was getting a tray of drinks.

"Hey Gil, did you know this is Roderich's house?" Antonio said as he placed some tall glasses in the tray.

"This is Roddy's house?" Gilbert whispered harshly under the watchful gaze of the housekeeper, "Why didn't Franny fucking tell me anything?"

"I don't know. Anyways, I think I just saw Feli over there. I thought he was going to your place tonight?"

Gilbert blinked in wonder. "Beats me, _mein bruder_ told me he was coming over, are you sure you saw Feli?"

"I'm pretty sure…" Antonio mused as he glanced back at the ballroom.

"Why don't you get closer and see if it's him? Lizzie came over too. I always forget her family's loaded."

"Elizaveta? Is she with Roderich?" Antonio asked knowingly.

"Yeah, she is. I was pissed, but everything makes sense now. Roddy had to come because his family's hosting and Lizzie…I think they're a pair in the social world or something because everybody sticks them together."

"Well, I'll go see if that's really Feli," Antonio said as he hefted the tray up carefully. Remember, don't make a scene!"

Gilbert chuckled as the two returned to the floor and parted ways, his red eyes immediately searching for Roderich. He found the brunette standing beside the piano, caressing it with great affection, and wanted to go talk to him, but stopped short as a middle-aged man walked towards Roderich with a disgusting grin.

"Roderich," The man boomed with a smile on his face. Elizaveta followed close behind him, her green eyes flashing with worry.

Roderich nodded his head in greeting. "Mr. Héderváry."

"I do hope you're playing something for us tonight?" The man boomed loudly enough for the people around them to hear. Gilbert narrowed his eyes in distaste.

"It would be an honor if you are willing to listen to my playing," Roderich replied with an eerie smile on his face. It was like he was facing someone he hated very much.

"I'd like to listen to something light and airy, oh, better yet, a duet with a violin. I'm sure the concertmaster knows a few duets, doesn't she?"

Roderich looked at his piano for a moment before turning back, the eerie smile still on his face. "I believe 'Salut d'Amour' is a good choice."

"Ah, 'Love's Greeting'? Such a wonderful piece, isn't it?" Mr. Héderváry boomed as he turned to his daughter, missing the rolling of eyes Roderich performed.

"I will be ready in five minutes." Roderich informed, and Mr. Héderváry turned around, pulling his daughter with him towards the rows of violinists in the corner, who cowered at his presence. Gilbert slinked into a dark corner and found Francis, who was flirting with a girl, and told him what happened.

"I didn't know Roddy had a shitty relationship with Lizzie's dad."

"Ah, well, their relationship isn't the best of them," Francis said as his blue eyes wandered from the concert master, who was doing her best not to burst into tears, to Roderich, who was standing by the piano.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Gilbert grinned, and Francis nodded, a matching grin growing on his face.

"All you need is a violin, _oui_?"

* * *

Roderich sighed. If his father hadn't decided to host a party without telling him he would be with Gilbert by now, enjoying a wonderful evening together, and seeing Elizaveta's father was not part that. The man was loud and boisterous, much like Gilbert, but he had an air of crudeness to him and was nothing but an annoying man who despised musical talents like Roderich, once having stated that "Men who learn music are nothing but ladies in tuxedos."

He walked over to the concertmaster's seat but frowned when it was empty.

"Where is the concertmaster?" Roderich asked sharply, and one of the violinist's cowered as he sensed his displeasure.

"The concertmaster was talking to a blond man… who took her away." The violinist said meekly.

Roderich rubbed his temple in irritation. "I see. Do any of you know how to play 'Salut d'Amour'?"

"Yes, we do."

"Good. I need one person to play the piece with me, as Mr. Héderváry wishes."

"Mr. Héderváry?" The violinist squeaked.

"Yes, I know how you all feel about him, but I need one of you to play with me." Roderich said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Everybody knew the incident when Mr. Héderváry was drunk and yelled crude remarks at the orchestra, saying they were nothing but a bunch of—Roderich winced at the remembrance of the word—sissies.

None of the violinists were willing to go on stage at all. Roderich looked at his watch before glancing at Mr. Hedverary, who just smirked at him, and wished that Mrs. Héderváry was here instead. He liked Elizaveta's mother, a kind gentle woman that had great taste in classical music, unlike her incredibly crass and rude husband.

He tried to negotiate with the violinists but they all shook their heads, casting fearful glances at Mr. Héderváry, and Roderich realized that the man had somehow threatened them. He sighed and turned away from the violinist's who murmured their apologies.

"Roderich! I believe it's time for my merry tune!" Mr. Héderváry boomed, and all eyes turned on Roderich, who made an effort to turn his lips upwards in a dazzling smile as he walked towards his piano slowly and sat down, racking his brains for solutions, knowing his father was somewhere in the crowd looking at him. If he embarrassed himself and the family his father would be outraged.

"Where's your violinist? I told you I want to hear 'Salut d'Amour'!" Mr. Héderváry boomed again, and a murmur spread through the crowd.

"I'm right here," A familiar rough voice said, and Roderich's eyes widened at the sight of Gilbert, who was holding a violin in his hands. Roderich would have swooned at the smirk on Gilbert's face and the silver hair that was gelled back to reveal his handsome face if he wasn't panicking on what to do.

"Aren't you a waiter?" Elizaveta's father boomed again, much to the annoyance of the people around him.

"Oh, yeah," Gilbert said as he looked at his clothing. He walked over to Roderich, who took the violin from his hands, and took off the black vest and bowtie, dropping them on the floor before popping open the first two buttons of his shirt. "Now I'm a waiter transformed violinist, so just shut up, old man, 'cause I'm gonna rock this tune."

Mr. Hederbary blanched at Gilbert's words and tried to stammer something to no avail.

"So, Mr. Edelstein," Gilbert said as he looked at Roderich, rolling the title off his tongue with a grin, "What are we playing?"

"We're going to perform 'Salut d'Amour' by Edward Edgal." Roderich managed from his place at the piano.

"I know that one, 'Liebesgruss', right?" Gilbert said as he picked up the violin and set it snug between his shoulder and chin. "Let's get the party started."

Roderich took a deep breath before poising his hands above the keys, wondering if he was going to get out of his successfully. He cast a glance at Gilbert, who nodded, and he began the first few bars of the melody. When Gilbert's violin joined in it stunned Roderich with its rich and warm feeling that flowed into the air that weaved with the piano beautifully, erasing all his doubts.

Roderich closed his eyes and let his fingers fly across the keys as the sound of Gilbert's warm violin resonated through him. He could feel a gentle sun shining on him as the summer breezed kissed his cheeks and the sky spread out from above him, enveloping the world in a wonderful clear blue. He could smell the fresh grass and see the endless pastures and children dancing around. Everything was so vibrant and wonderful and happy that Roderich found himself wishing that this duet would never end.

When the last sound of the violin ended, the thundering sound of clapping broke Roderich from the spell of the melody, and he rose from his seat, looking at Gilbert, who was grinning like crazy.

"I didn't know you could play the violin," Roderich murmured as he stood beside Gilbert.

"Nah, just something I learned when I was a kid." Gilbert said as his red eyes found Mr. Héderváry and he smirked. The older man cringed and made his way through the crowd, grabbing a glass of wine on his way.

"You play wonderfully."

"Not as good as my old man," Gilbert said as he shrugged off the compliment. "Old Fritz is a whole lot better than I am."

Roderich's father emerged from the crowd and took hold of the situation, thanking Gilbert for his excellent performance whilst casting a glance at Roderich as if looking for an explanation. Out of the corner of his eyes Roderich saw Francis slip back in with the breathless concert master, a large grin on his face as he clapped.

Ignoring the look on his father's face, Roderich ushered Gilbert to one side of the room where Francis walked towards them.

"That was just wonderful, my friend," Francis said as he patted the albino on the back. "Though you should thank me for getting you that violin, _oui_?" The blonde added with a wink.

Roderich looked in confusion as the two burst into laughter. "Is there something that needs to be explained?"

"Roddy, Franny here got the concertmaster a bit _busy_ so I could borrow her violin, so you should thank him too." Gilbert chuckled as he slung an arm over Francis' shoulder.

"Thank you Francis, you always help me out in situations like these," Roderich said as he gave Francis a hug, surprising both Francis and Gilbert.

"What is this, are you going to profess your undying love for me next?" Francis laughed as he patted Roderich on the back.

"No, I'm not," Roderich said as he pulled away from Francis. "You should go find ladies to profess their undying love for you, not me."

"Or men," Gilbert chirped as he put on his black vest and slung the bowtie around his neck. Francis laughed. "Anyways, I have to go back to serving people."

"Then I shall go find some ladies then, I do believe it's time to dance, isn't it?" Francis said to Roderich as Gilbert sauntered back to the kitchen to get a new tray.

"Yes, it's time to dance," Roderich agreed as the band began some more lively music for the guests to sway to. "By the way, I remember Lovino is very good at dancing, where is he? Elizaveta is fond of him and wanted to dance with him."

Francis laughed. "My dear cousin is probably scaring all the ladies away with his sour attitude and bluntness."

"Ah," Roderich said as Eliaveta and Lovino came into view, "I think Elizaveta has found him."

Francis squinted at his cousin. "Is Lovino wearing a different shirt?" He asked, and Roderich shrugged.

"He probably spilled something on it."

The band began to play a soothing waltz and the guests on the floor began pairing with one another, swaying in circles to the tune. Even though Lovino was half a head shorter than Elizaveta he led the dance perfectly with a dazzling smile on his face. Out of the corner of his eye Roderich saw Antonio rubbing his face as he eyed Lovino. It was decorated with scratch marks.

* * *

The party ended and Gilbert found himself with Francis and Antonio in the waiting room. He was starving for some food.

"Toni, do you have scratch marks on your face?" Gilbert asked incredulously as the Spaniard rubbed his face. The marks seemed fairly fresh.

Francis whistled. "It seems you've met a feisty one."

"Yeah, I did," Antonio said with a grin that threatened to split his face in half as he turned to Gilbert. "Remember that I told you I saw Feli at the party? It turned out to be someone called Lovino, and he's Feli's older brother!"

"Ah, you've met Lovino?" Francis said with a dry laugh. "It's a miracle that you came out of a conversation with him unscathed; my dear cousin has a short temper and a tongue that needs taming."

"Well, I didn't exactly come out unscathed." Antonio replied as he gestured to the scratch marks on his face.

"What did you do man?" Gilbert grinned as he slapped Antonio on the back.

"I told him I loved him," Antonio said dreamily as a smile came to his face. "He's so cute— it's like love at first sight."

"No wonder." Francis said with a smile. "You'll have to put in a lot of effort to win this little kitty cat."

The door opened and Roderich stepped in, having changed out of his previous attire into something simpler but still formal.

"Francis, are you staying for dinner?" Roderich asked as he looked at his childhood friend.

"Of course, _mon ami_, I am not leaving you with the mean Mr. Héderváry."

"Mr. Héderváry has gone home with Elizaveta." Roderich said with visible relief flooding his violet eyes.

"_Magnifique_," Francis grinned as he stood up, "Then I believe I shall—"

"You should stay," Roderich interrupted. "I don't want to dine alone with my parents and explain to them."

Francis sat down with a smile. "It is only at times like these that you are honest. Very well, I shall stay with Antonio and Gilbert."

"Is Lovino still here?" Antonio asked with hope lighting in his eyes.

Roderich gave Francis a puzzled look and the Frenchman just smiled. "Uh...yes, Lovino is still here."

"Then I'm staying!"

"Very well then," Roderich said as he gestured the trio to follow him. "I'm taking you to the dining room. I'm afraid you'll have to engage in mindless talking and endless probing. If anything happens, just nod and smile."

"Okaay…" Gilbert said as he stuffed his hands in his pockets, suddenly not so hungry anymore.

Dinner with Roderich's parents turned out to be much more of a chore than he thought. The Edelstein's basically interrogated him and Antonio, showing visible disproval at their background and other things. Roderich picked at his food and Francis just drank his wine as the parents continued to whittle and pry. Suddenly the door flew open and a brown haired teenager strode in.

"Stop the fucking interrogation and just eat, keep this up and those two are going to kill themselves," The Italian said as he glared at the parents.

"Lovi!" Antonio cried happily, earning him a glare from the Italian.

"Shut up, _bastardo_, who gave you permission to give me names like that?" Lovino yelled as he kicked Antonio's chair and seated himself next to Francis, grabbing a plate of chicken along the way. The Edelstein's looked at each other and Mrs. Edlestein forced a smile on her face.

"Ah, Lovino, I thought you wanted dinner in your room?"

"I changed my mind." Lovino declared as he ripped a drumstick from the chicken on the table. "It's too fucking quiet."

Gilbert decided he liked the guy. Lovino did look a lot like Feliciano, but his hair was a darker shade and his eyes were angry. He wondered how Lovino got away by treating people like dirt.

"Manners, Lovino," Francis said with a strained smile.

"Just because you're my cousin doesn't mean you can go around bossing me." Lovino said before he sunk his teeth into the drumstick and ripped off the meat.

"What will your _grand-père _think if he knows you're treating people without proper manners?"

Lovino turned to the Edelstein parents and swallowed his chicken. "I'm sorry for my bad manners because I hate this atmosphere." He said in a monotone and Francis smiled apologetically at the parents.

"So, I know this one," Lovino said as he jabbed his drumstick at Antonio, whose face practically beamed, before he turned it to Gilbert, who had finally got around to eating something since dinner started.

"I'm Gilbert, Gilbert Beilschdmit. Do you know my dear little brother Ludwig?" Gilbert said with a smirk, and Francis just hid his smile behind his glass of wine.

"Ludwig?" Lovino screeched as he slammed his food back on his plate. "The macho potato bastard? What the fuck did I do that you Germans have to swarm around me like flies and bring some crazy Spanish man to annoy me?"

Gilbert laughed loudly while Antonio just grinned.

"Lovino," Francis said as he tried to keep a straight face, "We should talk about this later."

The Italian huffed and went back to his food, tearing it apart with his fork and knife as if it wronged him in some way.

"Why is dinner so quiet?" Lovino asked loudly after a second, his voice echoing around the room. "At my house we eat with our servants and drink wine and dance with them."

"Not all houses operate in the same manner as your _grand- père_ does, Lovino." Francis replied.

"Well, I think its better that way." Lovino replied as he wiped his mouth, casting a glare at Antonio and Gilbert. "I'm done and I'm excusing myself so bye."

Lovino left just as loudly and quickly as he had come. Antonio stared after the door, making it obvious that he wanted to follow. Gilbert wanted to follow as well. There was no way he was staying in this hell hole. Just as he wanted to strangle himself to death with the table cloth, the butler came in.

"Sir, Mr. Friedrich William is here."

Gilbert's ears perked up at the mention of the familiar name.

"Tell him to come in," Mr. Edelstein said, and Gilbert was up and out of his seat in a flash when a familiar figure entered the room.

"Old man!" Gilbert yelled as he lunged at the man, who laughed as he staggered a few steps backwards from the impact.

"Gilbert!" Friedrich laughed as he embraced the full forced tackle.

"When did you come back? Why didn't you call? I've been waiting for you!" Gilbert continued as he raised the man off his feet and spun around.

"You've gotten stronger, Gilbert!" Friedrich chuckled, "Put me down first, I have people to greet." He said, and Gilbert set him down, his face beaming. "Mr. and Mrs. Edelstein, it's nice to meet you two again." Friedrich greeted.

"Likewise," Mr. Edelstein said with an uncertain smile at the unfolding reunion.

"It's Friedrich!" Antonio exclaimed as he got up from his seat. "I can't believe this!"

"Oh, Antonio, it's been such a long time, the last time I saw you, you were twelve years old!" Friedrich said as he pulled Antonio up into an embrace.

"Mr. William, when did you come back from Germany?" Roderich asked, and Gilbert looked at Friedrich, who smiled at Roderich.

"Roderich, it's been a long time as well." Friedrich said warmly.

"You know Old Fritz?" Gilbert asked Roderich, who just nodded.

"I've met Mr. Friedrich a few times before, but I didn't know he was your 'old man'," Roderich replied.

"I thought you two might know each other," Friedrich said as he clapped a hand on Gilbert and Roderich's shoulder, a grin growing on his face as he looked at Roderich. "Gilbert's been telling me all about you in his letters. I had an inkling that you are the one in his letters."

"Me, in his letters?" The puzzled brunette asked, and Gilbert coughed on.

"It's nothing, it's nothing!" He said all too quickly.

"How do you know each other, Mr. William?" Mrs. Edelstein cut in as she gestured at Gilbert. "This child played the violin earlier at the party, and I must say it was fabulous."

"I met Gilbert twelve years ago, when he was five." Friedrich said with an air of remembrance. "I was playing my violin in the park when this child came up to me and told me my violin sucked."

The Edelstein's let out a gasp of horror.

"Old man Fritz was taking a vacation at my aunt's place and we enjoyed the art of being pranksters." Gilbert chuckled.

"Gilbert has certainly brought me back to my childhood times," Friedrich grinned as he ruffled the albino's hair affectionately before turning to Roderich. "If I recall, you play the violin as well?"

"Yes, I do," Roderich replied. "Though I'm not as good as Gilbert."

"Nonsense!" Friedrich laughed as he patted Roderich on the shoulder. "Gilbert just knows a few tricks here and there."

"I'm sure you taught him well." Mrs. Edelstein said with a smile.

Friedrich laughed. "No, I didn't teach him anything at all! He picked it up by himself."

"That's impressive," Mr. Edelstein remarked as he looked at Roderich.

"I don't intend on heading the classical way, it's too stuffy." Gilbert said as he sensed Roderich's discomfort. "I'm all for rock and roll."

"We should be happy that youngsters these days are talented!" Friedrich declared.

Since Friedrich arrived dinner became merrier and less suffocating as he grabbed the full attention of the Edelstein parents. Gilbert laughed more than he did in a year that night and even managed to crack a few jokes with Roderich's mother, who seemed like a very serious woman.

Dinner ended and before Gilbert knew it Antonio and Francis had disappeared, leaving Roderich to guide him to the guest room. The two walked in the large hallway and Gilbert admired the paintings hung on the wall.

"Why are you here?" Roderich asked, breaking the soft silence.

"Toni got me this part-time job because I needed money, and Francis didn't even tell me this is your house. He told me to get overnight things because he wanted Toni and I to stay over at his house…but it seems like I'm staying here tonight." Gilbert said with a wink.

Roderich blushed gently. "I'm glad I got to see you today, and thanks for helping me out during the party."

"Nah, me too. I was kinda jealous that Lizzie got to hang off your arm." Gilbert admitted.

"I was just being courteous. As much as her father is an ill-mannered man the Héderváry's are an important family."

Gilbert said nothing, not wanting to delve further. He had no interest in the world of a socialite. His interest though, was only in one place.

"So," he said as he nudged Roderich, a grin gracing his lips, "Can I go to your room?"

Roderich stared at him before blushing again. "I guess you could." He turned and took a flight of stairs at their left and headed up two floors before walking down the end of the hall. Gilbert gaped as they stopped in front of a pair of large oak doors that had elegant carvings on them.

"Your doors are the size of my room," He breathed in awe.

"Don't joke around," Roderich said as he opened the door and ushered Gilbert in.

Gilbert looked around the room. It was ridiculously huge with a king sized bed near the upper left corner of the room and a nightstand beside it. In the upper right corner there were rows of book shelves with musical scores and classical literature titles on them, with a work desk that was adjacent to the book shelves with a leather chair. Behind the chair the curtains were drawn and Gilbert assumed there was a balcony outside. He looked to the right and saw the bathroom, very much like the ones on the first floor. There was a table and two large sofas and a flat screen TV bolted to the wall.

"Nice bed," Gilbert grinned wickedly and Roderich blushed.

"You can't stay in my room tonight because my parents will think it's weird." The brunette said as he sat on the edge of his bed, patting the space beside him.

Gilbert flopped down on the bed and rolled around to enjoy the wonderful feeling of the silk sheets and soft mattresses. Even if he worked his ass off until he was a hundred he would never be able to buy a bed like this.

He rolled around, facing Roderich's backside, and hugged him from behind, his hands lingering around his waist. The brunette stiffened but nothing was said, and Gilbert took it as a yes. He pulled Roderich's shirt out of his pants and snuck his hand upwards, feeling him shudder slightly at the contact of skin against skin.

"Gilbert…I don't think this is a good idea," Roderich murmured as Gilbert sat up and held him from behind, both hands roaming around his chest and waist. Gilbert nipped Roderich's earlobe and grinned against his neck.

"Just touching, just touching," He murmured as he unbuttoned Roderich's shirt and kissed the latter's bare shoulders before pulling it down and exposing his chest.

"What happened to the 'just touching'?" Roderich said as he took off his glasses and set them down on the nightstand.

The albino grinned as Roderich turned around and sat on his lap, violet eyes smiling. He let one hand rest of the brunette's rear and another brush teasingly against his crotch. Roderich swatted his hand away playfully before leaning in and pressing a kiss against his lips. Gilbert kissed him back and the two engaged themselves in a hot kiss that lasted until they had to separate for breath.

"Roderich," Gilbert breathed as he leaned against his chest, "Do I really have to leave your room?"

"Yes, you do," Roderch said as he stood up and moved a hand towards his glasses. Before his fingers could touch the rim though Gilbert grabbed his wrist and pulled him onto the bed, hovering above with a triumphant smile.

"Why don't we kiss a little more?" He suggested, and Roderich smiled coyly as he unbuttoned Gilbert's shirt as he ran a hand over his chest and circled his arms around the albino's neck, pulling him down for another kiss.

The two rolled around, their breathing becoming labored as they searched each other with their eyes and tongues and hands. Gilbert smirked against Roderich's lips as he moved a hand downwards. The brunette gasped and swatted the hand away.

"Not today," Roderich murmured and Gilbert chuckled as he broke the kiss and sat up, enjoying the view of a panting and disheveled Roderich. He smoothed the brown hair backwards and pressed a kiss against his forehead.

Roderich sat up and buttoned his shirt, beckoning Gilbert to do the same. "We still have a lot of days in the future," Roderich said with a smile as he put on his glasses. Gilbert brightened up at his words and followed Roderich to the guest room. As the two reached the guest room they heard a muffled shout.

The pair exchanged looks and Gilbert threw open the door, the two of them blanching when they saw a tied up Lovino and a drunken and naked Antonio (save for his boxers) dancing around the bedpost as if it were a pole.

"It's about time you two came back!" The Italian screamed. "Get me out of this!"

"Ah, _mi amor_," Antonio said as he ran a hand on Lovino's cheek, his sentence trailing off into incoherent Spanish. The Italian blushed as he tried to kick Antonio, only to have the Spaniard grab his foot and run a hand along his calves.

"Gilbert, how do we get him to stop?" Roderich asked nervously as he quickly closed the door behind him.

"Easy." Gilbert grinned as he walked over and tapped Antonio on the shoulder. "Yo Toni, how are you feeling?" He asked the drunken Spaniard, who grabbed Lovino in a death embrace.

"Hmmm? I'm feeling…fine and dandy!" Antonio slurred as he snuggled against the Italian, whose face was turning white.

"It's time for your _siesta_."

"It is?" Antonio questioned as he shook his head back and forth.

"Yeah. So why don't you go to sleep?" Gilbert said, and almost immediately, Antonio dropped onto the bed as if he was dead. Roderich untied Lovino, who bolted up from the bed and ran for the door.

"Damn that _bastardo_! I shouldn't have listened to him! I'm going to bed!" Lovino screeched as he threw open the doors and stormed to the room next door.

"Roddy, you can go to sleep too," Gilbert chuckled as he pulled the covers from under Antonio and tucked him in. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Are you sure?" Roderich asked.

"Do you wanna take a bath with me?" Gilbert replied instead, and Roderich blushed.

"No, I don't think so."

"I was hoping for a yes."

"It'll be soon." Roderich promised before he slipped out of the room, "Maybe tomorrow." He added with a smile.

Gilbert chuckled as the doors closed and turned to Antonio.

"Toni, get up."

The Spaniard opened his eyes. "Is Lovi gone?"

The two stared at each other before bursting into laughter.

"What was that?" Gilbert howled as he hugged himself, trying to contain his laughter.

"Well…Lovi was obviously drooling over my body so I took it upon myself to strip dance for him." Antonio said as he hugged one of the pillows to muffle his hysterical laughter.

"Seriously man, why did you tie him up?" Gilbert asked as he tried to calm himself down.

"Otherwise he would run away!" Antonio replied seriously. "I can't have him running away before he imprints my glorious body in his mind, can I?"

"What if he hates you?"

"He won't, Lovi's going to blush whenever he sees me from now on!"

"We'll see about that. I bet you he won't show up for breakfast tomorrow."

"Oh he will!"

"No he won't."

"Yes he will!"

"Just get some clothes on, will you?"

"Sure."

"_Guten Nacht._"

"_Buenas noches_!"

"Gil, don't we have to take a shower?"

"…"

"Are you not taking one because Roderich didn't want to take a shower with you?"

"…"

"Gil?"

"Shut up, we can take one in the morning."

"Oh, I get it. You want Roderich's scent all over you!"

"Damn Spaniard. I'm just tired."

"Okay."

"…"

"Gil?"

"What?"

"Do you think Lovi is going to come to breakfast tomorrow?"

"I thought we just talked about that."

"I think he will."

"…"

"Gil—"

"I love you Toni and I don't want to hurt you, so shut up."

"Okay."

"…Gil?"

Gilbert covered his head with a pillow, wishing that Antonio had gotten himself drunk and passed out.

* * *

**How did I do? I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter. **

**Reviews are appreciated :)**


	3. The House

**Hello again, chapter three is here now :)**

**OCC scenes because of drunkness. **

**I don't own Hetalia. **

* * *

Even though Roderich didn't want to admit it, he had been counting. Three weeks had passed since he and Gilbert started dating, but the number of dates they had been on was pitifully low, almost pathetic. Antonio always needed Gilbert for homework. Francis always took Gilbert out to clubs and sent him back home drunk. Roderich himself was always bombarded with dinner requests, and Elizaveta always had a reason to spend time with him. It wasn't like Roderich disliked her, but he felt that he needed to spend time with Gilbert. The way they were now was just like before they started dating, and it irked Roderich even though he was still confused on how their relationship came about.

The brunette decided to pay a surprise visit to Gilbert. He spent hours agonizing in front of the mirror, trying on different clothing and wondering if he was dressed too formally, before eventually giving up on acting like a girl on her first date and looking at himself in the mirror one last time. A royal blue open sweater over a white dress shirt with a pair of jeans seemed good enough. He grabbed a duffel bag and stuffed it with overnight necessities and two sets of clothes before tapping on a pair of sneakers and heading to the front door to tell the butler he would be spending a night outside.

"Young master, are you sure it's okay?" The old butler asked as genuine concern etched across his features. "You know how the master feels about staying outside."

"Tell him I will be staying at the house near the train station and there is nothing to worry about." Roderich replied with a light smile.

"Ah,_ that _house," The butler said with a beaming smile, "Have a nice day," The butler bowed respectfully, and Roderich was on his way.

-  
Finding the way to Gilbert's house was more challenging than Roderich thought. He looked down at the piece of paper in his hands that had Gilbert's address scribbled on it. Even though he was confident that he followed the directions, he had walked around the same neighborhood for an hour and was sure that someone was going to call the police and have him arrested in the next three minutes.

Sighing, he walked to a nearby house to ask for directions. The house itself was a rather quirky design, looking as if it was reconstructed in many places in separate time, and contrasted with the garden that was neat and tidy with a sense of nobility. He walked up the white stairs and found himself looking at a door that resembled the American flag. Looking to the right at the other relatively normal houses and then back at the door, Roderich began to wonder who owned such an eccentric house as he pressed the doorbell.

The door swung open with such force that Roderich almost fell off the stairs.

"Hey, who're you?" A familiar voice chirped.

"It's you!" Roderich said in shock when he realized it was the freshman named Alfred.

Alfred cocked his head sideways. "What you?"

"Can't you even answer the door properly, you git?" Another familiar voice said from inside the house. Roderich's eyes widened when he saw Arthur in a bathrobe, standing with a cup of tea in his hands behind Alfred and evident red marks scattered on his collar-bone.

Arthur dropped his tea the same time Roderich took a step backwards and lost his balance, stumbling down the stairs.

"Watch out!" Alfred shouted as he grabbed Roderich by the hand and pulled him upwards. The world was a blur and Roderich couldn't do anything but grab Alfred's arm for dear life. It took him three seconds to realize he was standing on his own two feet and another three to realize his head was against Alfred's chest.

"Dude…are you okay? My arm's gonna turn purple if you keep squeezing it like that. The dude who just passed by kept on giving me weird looks. Hell, he even stared at me!"

Roderich looked up at Alfred and then at Arthur, who had mysteriously changed into a T-shirt and a pair of jeans within the time frame of ten seconds. He then realized that he was in an awkward embrace with Alfred when he shouldn't be. The brunette cleared his throat before releasing Alfred and pushing him aside.

"I'm…very sorry," Roderich began as he stared pointedly at Arthur. "I didn't realize this was Alfred's house, and I certainly wasn't expecting to see you here, you see, I was looking for this address—"

"There's nothing to be sorry about, just come in." Arthur said calmly while gesturing Roderich to follow him. Alfred followed in and picked up the tea-cup that was still on the floor, its contents spilled around it.

Roderich entered the house, feeling embarrassed that he had witnessed yet another scene of the president's intimate love life and by the fact that he just pressed himself against the president's boyfriend.

"Sit anywhere you want!" Alfred chirped, oblivious to the mood, before skipping off to the kitchen. "What do you want to drink? Coffee? Tea—nah, you don't wanna drink tea, it really sucks—ooh, I have coke and sprite and other stuff…"

"Alfred." Arthur said as he sat down on the sofa and crossed his legs, "I think Roderich will prefer some water."

The awkward silence in the house was soon filled with the clinking of glasses and the pouring of water. Roderich gave Arthur a hesitant smile. "I didn't mean to—"

"This isn't what it looks like," Arthur exploded, his casualness swiftly crumbling into dust as he almost leapt forward, his emerald eyes filling with worry, "I mean this bloody moron here needed me for something—"

"Yeah, a massage—" Alfred interjected from the kitchen, carefully enunciating the word.

"—and I thought I would come over and help him—"

"Artie's really good at making me feel good!"

"—so I came and the git spilled—what the hell did he spill—oh, yes, one of those horrid fuzzy drinks on me—"

"He always complains when his clothes get dirty!"

_**You came? He spilled? With what?**_ Roderich couldn't help but think, chiding himself for thinking in that direction, even though it was obvious _it_ had happened. Even Gilbert and he hadn't gotten that far. Yet. Roderich himself was painfully frustrated by the fact, and as much as it embarassed him, he went ahead and bought a bottle of lube and did some research on gay sex.

"—don't listen to the moron—" Arthur began to look more panicked than he already was, his head turning in a blond blur as he glanced at Alfred then back at Roderich.

"I wish we can do it in the tub some day!"

"—anyways there's nothing you should be worried about—"

_**Suspicious about, **_Roderich corrected in his head. It was rare to see the president this flustered, and he was kind of enjoying the sight despite of feeling guilty of having to had putting him on the spot.

"You know, I've always wanted to try this new position, we did the rid—"

"ALFRED!" Arthur said loudly, almost screamed actually, and Alfred's chattering stopped instantly. A silence fell in the house and Arthur looked at Roderich as if he was expecting him to have a disgusted expression on his face and walk away, which made the brunette quite sad that the president thought he was homophobic. Roderich never thought he was homosexual before he met Gilbert, but he never once prejudiced against same-sex relationships.

"I understand," Roderich said firmly as he looked into Arthur's eyes. "I really do."

"Understand what?" Alfred said as he set a glass of water in front of Roderich while Arthur just stared at him, searching his violet eyes.

"About your relationship," Roderich clarified. "I understand your relationship."

Arthur fell back into the sofa, his emerald eyes dawning with realization. "You do?"

"I…am in a relationship now." Roderich admitted. It was an odd feeling to admit something he wasn't planning to, but he knew that Arthur was scared that Alfred and his relationship would be known to others and it might not end well, and he felt obligated to reassure him.

"Aren't you dating the hot senior girl with long brown hair and a flower clip in her hair and gorgeous legs?" Alfred asked as he plopped down beside Arthur, who glared at him and scooted away rather childishly.

"Do you mean Elizaveta?" Roderich asked. "I'm not quite sure about the legs...but the long brown hair and flower clip do sound like her."

"What? Dude, those legs are killer legs! Haven't you seen the way other guys ogle at her? She's the fantasy of fantasies!"

Arthur whacked Alfred on the head. "I should break up with you," He muttered under his breath, inaudible to Alfred. "What kind of boyfriend talks about a girl's legs just after–" Arthur caught himself and glanced at Roderich quickly.

"Oh, no, I am not in a relationship with her," Roderich clarified before he took a deep breath. Even though Francis and Antonio knew about his relationship with Gilbert, he never really talked about it openly. "I'm dating Gilbert Beilschmidt." There, he said it.

Arthur gaped at him before shooting up in surprise. " Beilschmidt? Gilbert Beilschmidit? What on earth are you thinking? The bloody sod is always asking for money!"

Roderich sighed. "You do know that he was okay with our abolishing his club last week."

"Was it because of you that he's okay with it?" Arthur asked.

"He told me that the reason he always hammered me for money was because he wanted to see me."

Alfred laughed. "I don't know this Gilbert dude, but he sounds awesome."

"I see." Arthur said. "Since you've told me I should tell you also…" He nervously shifted in his seat and said almost shyly, "Alfred and I started dating a month ago."

"It was love at first sight!" Alfred chirped as he draped an arm around Arthur's shoulders.

"More like annoying hell at first sight," Arthur replied as he smiled affectionately at Alfred before turning to Roderich. "Ah, you were here for something, yes?"

Roderich nodded. "I'm lost, do you know this address?" He said as he held out the piece of paper for Arthur to see.

"Oh, this place is just at the corner of this block!" Alfred chirped, and Roderich couldn't help but face palm himself. He had walked around in the neighborhood for such a long time he must've passed the house forty thousand times and he didn't notice at all.

"Should we take you there?" Arthur said as a small smirk formed on his face, "You get lost quite easily, don't you? I bet you've walked around in this neighbor hood for hours now."

Roderich blushed in embarrassment before nodding. The three excited the house and headed down the street. Arthur and Roderich talked about student council affairs while Alfred walked ahead in a brisk pace singing an off-key tune, much to the brunette's annoyance.

"Here we are!" Alfred said with a flourish as he pointed to a modern looking house that had a sleek design. It was tucked in further from the roadside and composed of mainly red, black, and white. There was nothing in the front yard save for the green grass and a smooth stone path that lead to the black door. Roderich looked up and was surprised to see that the second floor was made out of glass on all sides.

"It's impressive, right?" Alfred said as he bounced up the path and rang the doorbell. Arthur grabbed his hand then so he couldn't press it more than once.

"Coming," A voice called out gruffly, the door swinging open moments later. Roderich took a step backwards at the sight of an intimidating tall blond man with clear blue eyes.

"Ludwig!" Alfred chirped, "I didn't know you live here!"

"…Alfred," Ludiwg blinked with surprise as his eyes swept over the three. "The student council president, and…you must be Roderich." He said as his eyes lingered on Roderich a bit longer, almost like a parent meeting the prospective spouse of his child for the first time.

"Hey Luddddd!" Gilbert's voice screamed from the living room. "Where's my beer?"

"I'm sorry, _mein bruder_ is drinking with his friends," Ludwig explained.

"Drinking this early in the evening?" Arthur said as he clucked his tongue, his expression almost sympathetic.

"_Bruder_ seems to be in a bad mood." Ludwig replied as he glanced at Roderich discreetly.

Roderich cleared his throat. "I'm here to see Gilbert."

Ludwig's thin lips upturned into a smile and he stepped aside. "Come in then."

"Bring out the booze!" Alfred shouted, rushing forward before Arthur grabbed him back and began scolding him.

"We're not here to drink, we should be leaving."

"Buuut…." Alfred whined as he looked at Ludwig, his blue eyes pleading.

"We have lots of beer in our house, there's enough for everyone."

"Yay!" Alfred cried and Arthur released him, letting him barge into the living room and scare the living hell out of the three people who were drinking. [*]

"Who are you?" Antonio's voice cried.

"I'm Alfred F. Jones and I'm gonna be a hero!"

Arthur nodded his thanks to Ludwig and rolled his eyes at Alfred's remark before shouting at him to at least place his shoes properly at the doorway.

"Arthur, _mon cher_, what are you doing here?" Francis' voice said with a snicker.

"I'm not here because I want to be, you twat. Alfred and I are here with someone else," Arthur said pointedly.

"This way," Ludwig waved Roderich over to the living room where Antonio, Francis and Gilbert were drinking. The living room was pure white, even the sides of the television. The sofa was white leather-covered in plastic and the floor was concrete. The whole room was cold and made Roderich shiver.

"It will warm up soon," Ludwig promised before he turned towards the kitchen, presumably to get some more beer.

"Roddy!" Gilbert said in surprise as he bolted up from his leaning position, the beer in his hands almost spilling all over him.

Roderich tried to smile, but he really couldn't when the room was littered with cans of beer and porn magazines were being passed around.

"I don't get how reading porn and drinking booze counts as fun," Arthur said as he snatched a magazine from Alfred's eager hand and flipped through it before dumping it on the floor, his nose wrinkling in disgust.

Francis raised his glass. "It will be more fun when I get you drunk, _mon cher_," He winked.

"You've never seen Arthur drunk, have you? He's a horrible drunk." Alfred laughed as he opened a can of beer while ignoring Arthur's glare. "He cries a lot and yells something about his religious belief."

"He cries?" Francis said as a glint of interest gleamed in his eyes, "Whenever Arthur is drunk around me, he is angry. I would like to make him cry."

"In your dreams, you perverted frog." Arthur shot as he cleared a spot for himself to sit before looking up at Ludwig apologetically. "Do you have anything else to drink asides from beer— rum, perhaps?"

"Do you think I'm rich enough to buy rum?" Gilbert snorted, and Alfred gave him a warning glare.

"Hey, don't talk to Artie like that."

Gilbert rolled his eyes and Roderich looked at him with confusion, not understanding why he was acting more uncivilized than he already was. The brunette sat down gingerly beside his boyfriend and picked up a magazine, flipping through it quickly. When he flipped to the middle, though, he immediately recoiled with horror and scooted away.

"What's wrong?" The befuddled albino asked.

"Do you like this?" The brunette asked in a quivering voice as he pointed to the page with a woman tied up with an intricate and almost artful design if it weren't for the fact that a human being was tied up. Gilbert stared at him before he let out a guffaw.

"No, that's not mine, it's Lud's."

"Ludwig's?" Roderich asked in bewilderment as he glanced at the serious blond who was in the middle of picking up the empty beer cans and scolding Antonio for spilling wine on the floor.

"It's just his taste. We have a lot if you wanna see some more," Gilbert grinned as he fanned out more magazines. Roderich shook his head and opened a can of beer, thinking about how to explain that he wanted to go on a date instead of being cooped up in a cold living room and drinking beer.

"Give those back, _bruder, _you never asked to borrow them." Ludwig said with a faint tint of red on his cheeks as he grabbed his magazines back.

"Hey now, who introduced you to the wonderful world of porn? I still remember the first day you mastur—"

Ludwig shoved a pack of beer into Gilbert's face. "Here's some more beer for you." He said before he went and grabbed more of his magazines from Antonio and Francis, who were marveling over over-sized breasts and impossible positions.

Roderich chuckled. "Your brother doesn't seem like the type to get shy easily."

"Nah, he's only like that when we're reading his porn." Gilbert said, the look in his eyes getting distant as he looked at his brother. "He's never shown much emotion else wise."

"Oh wow, look at this!" Antonio cried as he waved one of the magazines around. "Tentacle porn! Whose is it?"

Ludwig's head jerked up from his magazines, which he were counting meticulously, and blushed as he leaned over and grabbed it away from Antonio. "This would belong to Kiku. Feliciano brought it over the other day."

"They belong to Kiku?" Gilbert asked incredulously. "And here I thought the guy didn't have emotions."

"Omigod!" Alfred squealed as he wrested the magazine from Ludwig's hands. "I've been dying to read this but Kiku told me Feliciano hadn't returned it yet!"

Arthur raised an eyebrow and leaned over Alfred's shoulder to look at the contents. "What's so good about tentacle porn?"

"No, I'm not interested in that!" Alfred said excitedly as he flipped for a certain page, "There's a girl that looks like you!"

"Like me?" Arthur crossed his arms with a huff. "Are you implying I look like a girl?"

Alfred laughed and Arthur whacked him across the head with another magazine.

"So, uh, why are you here?" Gilbert asked as he surprised Roderich by scooting over and draping an arm around his shoulders. "I know I gave you my address but I wasn't expecting you this fast. I mean, if you called ahead I could have done an awesome job cleaning up the place."

Roderich smiled. "I just can't have enough of you," he said truthfully, and Gilbert blinked in surprise, the mellow autumn of his eyes slowly kindling into a burning red as he brushed his finger across Roderich's ear, slowly massaging the lobe. The brunette shivered, but he didn't want to give in so quickly and caught Gilbert's hand in his.

"Hey hey…just touching." Gilbert whispered with a smirk.

Roderich rolled his eyes and sat up straight, shrugging Gilbert's arm off. "What happened the last time you said that?"

"Maybe we can have a make out session," Gilbert suggested as he ran a hand along Roderich's thigh. The brunette swatted his hand away while mustering the blankest expression he had.

Gilbert looked at him, puzzled, since Roderich had not once rejected him before. Roderich held back a laugh. "I've decided that you can't touch me unless I'm drunk and need your help getting home…not that I plan on going home today," He added with a coy smile.

Gilbert grinned. "Oi, Lud! Where's the rest of my beer?"

* * *

Gilbert set down his beer and looked at Francis, who set down his wine and looked at Antonio, who just stared back at them. Alfred was laughing his ass off at Mickey Mouse on TV, Arthur was muttering into space and patting a lump of air, and Roderich was eating a Popsicle in the most scandalous way ever.

"I always knew we three can really hold our booze," Antonio began, "But I thought Roderich would at least be on the same level as you, Francis."

Roderich's lips left the Popsicle with a popping sound as he glared at Antonio. "I'm not drunk; I've loosened up a bit, that's all. Francis' mother has given me beer when I was five and wine when I was ten, but I'd say that you three are monsters." He said as he pointed at the trio.

"What? You're still not drunk?" Gilbert whined, "You're getting me turned on but you're still not drunk?"

"Not yet my darling," Roderich hummed as he darted his tongue out and licked the full length of the melting Popsicle, his violet eyes burning into Gilbert's.

Gilbert fell back into the sofa, letting out an irritated sigh. He could feel heat flowing to his crotch and he desperately wanted to touch Roderich, who had taken off his sweater and opened the first two buttons of his shirt, showing off the collar-bone that Gilbert very much wanted to kiss and suck and nibble on.

Francis whistled. "I have never seen such side of you, _mon ami_," He said to Roderich, who just smiled before tracing a circle on his chest.

"There's a lot more you haven't seen," Roderich purred.

"He's definitely drunk!" Antonio cried out, and Gilbert circled his arms around Roderich's waist possessively while glaring at Francis, who grinned.

"I haven't seen you guys in a long time," Arthur muttered into thin air, "How've you been?"

"Artie, who're you talking to?" Alfred laughed as he patted his boyfriend on the shoulder. "If you have problems, you should be talking to the hero!"

"Shut up you git, I'm talking to my friends." Arthur said as he swatted Alfred's hand away. The first-year made a face before turning Arthur around.

"Face it, you're talking to nobody!"

"Alfred, my friends are real and they know what you're thinking—WHAT?"

"What 'what'?" Alfred asked.

"They say you want to do it outdoors!" Arthur hissed as he jabbed a finger at Alfred's chest, "And that you think I'm a clean freak!"

"What? No, Artie, I never—"

"They say you think I'm stuck up and stuffy!" Arthur said as tears began to well up in his eyes, "You think I'm a nuisance, don't you? You think I'm good at nothing but sex!"

Alfred's eyes almost bulged out of his eye sockets. "I don't think that—and stop the 'they say' thing, it's creeping me out!"

"I didn't know they were together," Antonio said to Francis in a low voice.

"You are too oblivious," Francis replied.

"Arthur, calm down," Roderich said as he threw his Popsicle stick into the trash.

"Why should I?" Arthur cried, "This bloody bloke doesn't even like me!"

Alfred gasped. "Now who says I don't like you?"

Gilbert sighed. It was getting out of hand. Roderich had turned into the sexiest being on the planet, Arthur was talking to air and getting into a crying fit, and Alfred wasn't helping at all by saying Arthur was creeping him out. Where was Ludwig when you need him? Oh. He'd been called out by Feliciano earlier and left rather gladly.

"Alright!" Roderich said as he shrugged out of Gilbert's grasp, standing up and raising the beer can up in his hand. "Let's drink more!"

Arthur responded by grabbing a can and downing it in three gulps before chucking the empty can at Alfred. Francis and Antonio clapped their hands in approval before drinking some more alcohol too. Within minutes everyone in the living room was heavily intoxicated and was cheering on Alfred's strip dance.

"That's my boyfriend!" Arthur yelled loudly as he waved Alfred's shirt around madly.

"I have a better ass than he does!" Antonio shouted as he kicked off his jeans and began shaking his rear end.

Gilbert shook his head, laughing as he glanced at Roderich, who was busying himself with another can of beer.

"Pelvic thrust!" Arthur commanded as he took out his cell phone and began shooting a video.

"Yes Captain!" Alfred yelled.

Roderich said as he laughed into his beer. "Ah, this reminds me of the phone call!"

"What phone call?" Gilbert asked, and Roderich grabbed Francis' wallet and pulled out a condom, waving it in front of Gilbert's face with a grin before pocketing it and telling him the story of the phone call.

"I called Arthur!" Roderich yelled as he leaned against Gilbert. "And he was having sex!"

Arthur whipped around while Alfred remained oblivious. Francis burst into laughter and Antonio leaned forward, his green eyes shining.

"He was like 'oh god Alfred'…" Roderich said as he began to mimic the rest of the phone call. Gilbert narrowed his eyes when the brunette said Alfred's name in a breathy tone.

Arthur blushed, his face turning an impossible red and steams of embarrassment came out from his ears. "I did not tell him to move his incredibly huge cock in my ass!"

"Oh yes you did," Francis teased.

"I did not!"

"Oh, are ya all talkin' about the time I dragged Artie to the infirmary for some hot sex?" Alfred as he stopped his pelvic thrusts and grinned almost crazily as he grabbed Arthur from behind, making the blond struggle.

"Shut it!" Arthur yelled, but quickly made a weird noise when Alfred blew a breath on his ear. Francis stared in surprise before laughing, and Antoino took a picture. The drinking continued on, and Gilbert himself was quite drunk—until a blazing feeling on his thigh snapped him awake. He looked at Roderich, who was smiling as he ran his hand along Gilbert's thigh.

"What? Are you finally drunk?" Gilbert grinned as he looked at Roderich, whose violet eyes had a drunken haze in them.

"There's somewhere I want you to..." Roderich began as he leaned against Gilbert, "take me," he finished in the albino's ears before licking his earlobe.

Gilbert felt blood rush to his ears and his heart beat almost stopped. He reached out to pull the brunette into an embrace, but the latter just stood up, laughing, and beckoned him to follow.

"We're not coming back," Roderich announced drunkenly as he whacked Francis on the head. Antonio gave out a cat call, but Alfred and Arthur were too busy making out to notice.

The pair headed out into the cold night, Roderich humming a classical tune and Gilbert keeping him from stumbling.

"Where's that house again?" Gilbert said as he circled an arm around Roderich while slinging the brunette's arm around his neck.

"Somewhere near the train station…"

"That's like…two blocks away. We can' walk that far like this."

"I have money…we can take a cab."

Gilbert flagged down a cab and Roderich spoke the address with such precision that Gilbert wondered if the brunette was drunk or not.

When they arrived at the house Gilbert was glad it wasn't as huge as the Edelstein mansion. Roderich fished out the keys from his pocket and handed them to Gilbert, who opened the door and dragged the brunette to the living room before dumping him on the sofa. Gilbert closed the door and opened the lights, finding his way to the kitchen to get a glass of water for Roderich.

The house gave him an odd feeling. He had seen Roderich's room before, and the house was not at all Roderich's style. It looked as if it was waiting for a newlywed couple to populate it with jumping children and screaming babies with all the warm colors and the homey feel. Gilbert shrugged off the feeling. After all, a house was just a house.

"Thank you," Roderich said as he accepted the water and drank it.

Gilbert sat on the sofa, unsure of what to do. Roderich let out a soft sigh and leaned against the albino's shoulders, intertwining their hands and pressing a kiss against the back of Gilbert's hand.

"I'm glad I dropped by today,"He murmured.

"Why? You were glad to see the porn mags?" Gilbert joked, and Roderich let out a low chuckle.

"I feel like we haven't been able to go on dates lately…I went to your house because I wanted to go on a date…but you were drinking with Francis and Antonio... so…"

"Wanna know why we were drinking?" Gilbert asked gruffly, his mood suddenly sour, and Roderich cast him a puzzled look.

"Why do you sound angry?"

"I was walking back home when I saw you hugging Alfred."

Roderich let out a laugh. "I almost fell down the stairs, why wouldn't I grab hold of Alfred?"

"You almost fell down the stairs?"

Roderich chuckled before he told Gilbert about what happened at Alfred's house, and Gilbert let out a guffaw, Roderich joining in seconds later. Soon the laughter died down and Roderich pressed a kiss on Gilbert's cheek.

"Could you sleep with me?" He asked softly.

"Which sleep do you mean?" Gilbert said hesitantly as he felt his throat go dry.

"Silly, just sleep beside me."

Gilbert let out a breath of disappointment. For three weeks they only made out and never gone further, because each time they tried they would be interrupted. Now they were finally alone, but they were both drunk and Roderich's lids were getting heavy with sleep. Besides, if they tried to have sex now he wasn't sure if Roderich would remember it.

Roderich staggered upstairs with Gilbert helping him along the way, and the two fell on the king sized bed in the master's bedroom. Gilbert ran his hands along the covers, amazed again by the quality. He wondered what it would be like to make love to Roderich on such a bed. A smile adorned his face as he began to imagine how Roderich's skin would look against the silk covers.

"What are you thinking about?" Roderich murmured as he snuggled against Gilbert.

"I'm thinking about what you look like during sex."

Roderich whacked Gilbert gently as he smiled. "Someday we'll get to it."

"Not tonight? You were seducing me before…" Gilbert pouted as he stroked Roderich's hair gently.

"I think I tend to seduce people when I'm drunk."

Gilbert gasped. "I'll have to chain you to me when we're drinking then."

"Chain me tight then, my love," Roderich said as he pressed a kiss to Gilbert's chest. "Tell everyone I'm yours."

"This doesn't sound like you."

"This is the only time I'll ever say this." Roderich replied before his eyes fluttered shut and he dozed off to sleep.

Gilbert smiled and kissed Roderich's forehead before turning to face the ceiling. Even though he was drunk he felt restless, worried. He was sure that aside from Francis, Antonio, and now Arthur and Alfred, no one else knew that he was dating Roderich, but for three weeks Elizaveta kept glancing at him in an accusing way.

He wanted to think that Elizaveta was just annoyed with him, but the more he thought about it the more he began to think Elizaveta actually knew, since women had deadly accurate instincts at times you rather they didn't. In fact, Elizaveta was the biggest reason he and Roderich hadn't gotten anywhere so far.

It was true that Elizaveta had feelings for Roderich and Gilbert did feel guilty for dating Roderich in front of her, but it wasn't a reason for her to be so…obvious. She threw him glares, ignored him purposefully, and treated him coldly when they had inevitable contact. It was weird and terrifying at the same time. Gilbert almost wished she would just confront him.  
-

The next morning Gilbert awoke to Roderich cuddling against him. He smiled as he smoothed the hair from Roderich's forehead and pressed a kiss on it. It felt good to wake up in bed with someone he loved beside him. In fact, he hadn't woken up with someone beside him ever since Ludwig had grown up into the beefy teen he was now.

Gilbert was contemplating whether to leave the warmth of the bed to take a shower and make breakfast when he heard the sound of footsteps walking upstairs. He tensed up immediately and gently wriggled out of Roderich's grasp before moving towards the door. The door flew open before his fingers could touch the knob, and Gilbert found himself looking at a disbelieving Elizaveta, who looked hurt the moment her eyes flickered toward the sleeping Roderich.

Gilbert stared at his friend for along moment.

"Let's go down." Elizaveta mouthed before turning around and walking down the stairs awkwardly, as if she was trying hard not to stomp.

Gilbert looked back at Roderich before slipping out the door and following Elizaveta.

"Why are you here? How did you get in?" Gilbert asked as he glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall. It was nine-thirty in the morning. The two sat down on opposites side of the table, Gilbert leaning back in his chair, stuffing his hands in his pockets while Elizaveta crossed her legs and held up a set of keys.

"I should be the one asking you this question," Elizaveta snapped. "This house isn't a place where you can just come and go as you please."

"What do you mean? It's just a damn house. If you're going to say it belongs to Roddy's parents, Roddy invited me in so I'm not trespassing."

"This house is the house Roderich is going to live in after he gets married."

Gilbert stared at her. "So what?"

"Do you think I'll be happy living here when you've been here and slept on the same bed with Roderich?"

"Are you saying you're going to marry Roddy?" Gilbert asked slowly. He wasn't used to the haughtiness Elizaveta was showing him, and he certainly wasn't happy hearing her say that she was going to marry Roderich in such a twisted way of talking.

"That is exactly what I mean."

"Roderich doesn't want to marry you, you know. He told me that."

Ellizaveta looked hurt the moment the sentence left Gilbert's lips. "His parents want me as their daughter." She said simply.

"Your dad is a jerk," Gilbert said as he leaned forwards. "Roddy hates him."

"We'll be living separately from our parents, besides; it's a win-win situation if Roderich and I get married."

"You Héderváry's are fighters, not musicians like the Edelsteins. Why the hell would it be beneficial if you two got married?" Gilbert said as he leaned backwards in the chair. This whole thing was getting ridiculous.

"You don't need to know that much," Elizaveta said as she crossed her arms. "What I'm telling you is— you should stop messing around with Roderich."

"I'm not messing around with Roddy."

"You _are_," Elizaveta insisted as she jabbed a finger at the albino. "Even if I don't marry him, he'll eventually have to find a nice lady and produce an _heir_, Gilbert, an heir to succeed the family. Two men can't have children. It's impossible, and adoption is out of the question."

"I don't want kids."

"The Edelstein's do!" Elizaveta said in exasperation. " The Edelstein's don't want their business going to some relative of theirs instead of the potential grandchildren they could have! Gilbert, I'm _helping _you. If you continue on with Roderich he'll have to be responsible for _everything_. He'll be ridiculed! What would his parents do if they knew you're together? They'd hunt you down and block every possible career path you can think of. They'll make your life a living hell."

"Shut up with the soap opera." Gilbert growled.

"I'm telling you the truth, Gilbert. I know you don't care about the future, but think about what will happen to your brother. He's smart and talented, isn't he?"

Gilbert's blood ran cold at the thought of his brother unable to find to go to a good university and find a job didn't care what would happen to him, but Ludwig deserved a bright future.

"Don't you use my brother against me," He warned as his red eyes flashed with anger. Do you really think that you're the only one who can throw threats around?"

Elizaveta's eyes went cold as she stared at him icily. "Gilbert, why haven't you grown up? You still don't know when to stop, like the time you almost killed your brother climbing that stupid cliff."

Gilbert felt like his gut was wrenched out of him as he remembered his brother's accident."Get out," He managed as he pushed himself out of the chair.

"I was going to," Elizaveta said as she walked towards the front door before turning around. "Oh, and Gilbert?"

"What?" He snapped.

"I hope you can manage your 'thing' with Roderich for another couple of days—that is, if you two don't get into an argument."

The albino slammed is fist on the table. Elizaveta knew more than anybody that he hated himself for what happened to his brother. He headed back up to the bedroom, coming to a sudden stop when he saw a room he hadn't paid attention to yesterday. The door was ajar and Gilbert pushed it open slowly.

It was a sickening sweet room. The whole room was full of baby toys and mini furniture for toddlers. Gilbert walked over to the mini dresser and opened it, feeling as if his eyes were seared by hot iron when he saw the baby clothes. There were pink and blue and green and yellow in pastel colors folded neatly, and there were baby shoes side by side. Gilbert shut the dresser and headed back to the master's bedroom, looking at Roderich's sleeping face until the brunette woke up.

"Gilbert?" Roderich murmured, his beautiful violet eyes fluttering open and his hand touching his cheek so gently Gilbert thought he would cry.

It was then that Gilbert decided that he wasn't going to back down to Elizaveta's threat. Even if time came for him to leave Roderich, he was going to make sure Roderich was in better hands than hers.

* * *

**I hope Elizaveta was evil enough! **

**Thanks for reading this chapter; reviews are appreciated. **


	4. Firsts

**Yay, my fourth chapter! I honestly didn't think I would get this far since most of the stories I write just die off and never get published. **

**Warning ahead: there's anal sex. I don't know much about anal sex, so the scene is just pieced up with bits and pieces I read from the internet. I don't know how it feels and blah blah blah, so if you think there's some 'technical issues' with the scene feel free to tell me.**

**I don't own Hetalia. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Gilbert spent the next few days avoiding Roderich. Ludwig, Francis and Antonio tried to cheer him up, as well as Feliciano, who apparently thought hugs were going to make things better. Although his friends helped him a great deal, Gilbert still refused to say what was on his mind.

"Don't worry, Gilbert," Feliciano chirped one day as he massaged Gilbert's shoulders, "Whenever I fight with my _fratello_ it always passes!"

"I'm not fighting with Roderch, Feliciano, but thanks." Gilbert smiled as he patted the Italian's hand.

"You're not?" Feliciano said as he turned to stand in front of Gilbert, his lips pursed and his hands on his hips. "I don't see why you'd be avoiding him then."

"Feliciano—" Gilbert groaned. He was about to explain that he didn't want to see Roderich at all and Feliciano didn't need to know why when his phone rang. Sighing when he realized it was Francis, he picked up the call and waited.

"_Gilbert," _Francis said, and that was all it took him to understand that something was wrong. Something squirmed uncomfortably in his stomach and he fought off the feeling.

"Sup?" He replied lightly, hoping that nothing was really wrong. Feliciano gave a worried look before going out of the room to find Ludwig.

"_Have you heard?"_ Francis asked with a careful tone, as if he didn't want to spill some secret that everybody knew except for Gilbert.

"Heard of what?"

"_Mon dieu, you still haven't heard of the news?"_

"Just spit it out, Franny."

"_Roderich…"_ Gilbert's heart panged at the mention of the brunette. _"Roderich is engaged to Elizaveta."_

Gilbert's heart stopped. He lowered the phone from his ears in disbelief.

"_Gilbert, Gilbert? Are you still there? Gilbert, Gil—"_

Gilbert ended the call before letting out a howl of anger. What the hell was going on? Why was Roderich engaged to Elizaveta? What did she do to get him to agree? Did she threaten him, or did Roderich just get tired of waiting? Gilbert dialed Roderich's number but got voicemail instead. Furious, he ripped the battery out of his phone and threw it against the wall.

"_Bruder,_ what's wrong?" Ludwig asked as he rushed into the room with Feliciano. The blue eyes stared at the disembodied phone on the floor and he took a few steps backwards as Gilbert turned to him.

"Did you know?"

"Know what, _bruder_?"

"Did you know that Roddy's engaged to Elizaveta?" Gilbert spat, his red eyes turning a flaming red as he inched towards his brother.

"I— it is true?" Ludwig asked incredulously, and Gilbert let out a lifeless laugh as he grabbed his coat and moved towards the door.

"That bitch…"

"_Bruder_, where are you going?"

"I'm going to Hell!" Gilbert screamed as he slammed the front door. A photograph placed next to the small table by the door fell off and smashed onto the floor. Feliciano picked it up.

"Is this you and Gilbert and Elizaveta?" Feliciano asked quietly as he looked at the three smiling figures.

"Do you know Elizaveta?" Ludwig asked as he took the photo from Feliciano's hand. It was a photo of Elizaveta, Gilbert and Ludwig when they were younger—a past that Ludwig did not remember. He was told by his mother that he used to play with this girl.

"Of course I know Elizaveta, she used to play with me when we were younger, _fratello _and I like her a lot, she's pretty and she's nice."

Ludwig picked it up and realized the glass had broken, separating Elizaveta and Gilbert from each other. "I see."  
-

When Gilbert arrived at Elizaveta's house he was greeted by a terrified house keeper.

"Sir, you can't go in—"

"I'm here to see Elizaveta," Gilbert snapped as he glared at the house keeper. "Tell her to get out here."

The house keeper turned to the maids, who looked at each other fearfully. One maid ran up to the house keeper and whispered in her ear.

"Very well," The house keeper said as she stepped aside from the doorway, "The young mistress is waiting for you in the gardens."

Elizaveta smiled when Gilbert entered the garden furiously, the maids trailing behind him in fear.

"Dear Gilbert, please have a seat." Elizaveta said as she dismissed her maids.

Gilbert continued to stand, his red eyes glaring at his old friend. "Why are you engaged to Roderich?"

Elizaveta let out a laugh. "Of course I'm supposed to be engaged to him, what else?"

"You fucking bitch," Gilbert whispered harshly, and Elizaveta's smile disappeared, her green eyes turning frosty. "Roddy doesn't like you that way, why are you insisting this?"

"Even if you were a girl, Gilbert, it would still be impossible."

"If you like Roddy you should let him be happy!"

"Let him be with you?" Elizaveta let out a mirthless laugh. "I'd rather make him sad then let him be with you, Gilbert."

"I'm not going to let this happen," Gilbert gritted through his teeth.

"Then I'm going to make sure it will happen."

Gilbert gave her one final glare before he fled the house, feeling battered, bruised, and hurt. Love really could change one person. Elizaveta had become a completely twisted being that he didn't recognize anymore, and he felt like it was his fault. If he hadn't fallen for Roderich, none of this would have happened.

When Gilbert went back home his phone was placed on the table in the living room and there was a note from Ludwig, saying that Roderich had dropped by and wanted to meet him and he would be waiting at the house in the maze. Gilbert crumpled the note and threw it into the trash.

* * *

Roderich sat in the piano room of the house in the maze. He was waiting for Gilbert, and after three hours he was sure that the albino wasn't coming. It was terrifyingly painful and uncharacteristic for him to wait that long, but somewhere in the back of his mind Roderich hoped that Gilbert would come. He stared at the ivory white piano keys that glinted in the moonlight and took a deep breath as he poised his hands over the keys as he began to remember what happened the morning after he went to Gilbert's house, and the melody of Chopin's Ballade no.1 in G minor began flowing in the air.

[Flashback]

Roderich was sitting in the kitchen of _the _house. His parents had bought this house near the train station and had stated that this was to be his residence after he married. Truth to be told, Roderich would rather live in a crummy apartment than this house because it just reminded him of his future of being pressured into marrying a woman he didn't like and raising kids he didn't want.

Shortly after he woke up Gilbert left with the excuse of having work, but any idiot could see from the look in his eyes that something had happened. Roderich didn't know what happened, but apparently Gilbert didn't want to talk about it so he left it at that. The more he thought about it though, the more his heart began to sink. He knew he was being silly for thinking that Gilbert was tired of their relationship already, but in the back of his mind he couldn't stop worrying. After all, he was afraid that Gilbert was tired of waiting for the physical proof.

The brunette took a short shower to shake the depressing thought away. When he headed back to the kitchen for a cup of coffee his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID, hoping it was Gilbert, but it was Elizaveta. Sighing, he answered the phone.

"Elizaveta, what is it?"

"_Roderich, dear, it's time we had a talk about your marriage." _Mrs. Edelstein's voice said softly over the phone.

"…mother?" Roderich asked incredulously as he set the cup of coffee on the table.

"_Come home and we'll talk about it."_

"Mother—"

Roderich cursed as the phone went dead. Elizaveta was with his parents, who adored her more than anything in the world. Even though he considered Elizaveta his friend, his parents considered her as a prospective, no, the _only_ daughter-in-law they would accept. Roderich dialed Gilbert's number.

"_Yup, you've reach the awesome me, if you're Francis, no, if you're Toni, no, if you're Lud, _ja_, if you're the princess, I'll get back to you ASAP."_

Roderich chuckled at the voice message, but soon the sinking feeling came back into his heart and he felt a little melodramatic. It wasn't a big deal if Gilbert didn't pick up his call, was it? It just meant he was busy, that's all, it had nothing to do with the odd mood he had this morning. Roderich sighed. It was no use in reassuring himself with thoughts. He dragged himself up and prepared to head back home to face his fate, whether he liked it or not.

Roderich was greeted at the door by the butler, who looked rather happy—like all the staff did when Elizaveta dropped by—and oblivious to his young master's frown.

"The master is waiting in the living room," The butler smiled as he took hold of Roderich's coat and duffel bag.

"I see. Thank you very much," Roderich replied before walking briskly to the living room to meet his parents and Elizaveta. The moment he walked in though, he felt like running away.

"Ah, Roderich," Mr. Héderváry boomed before he stuffed a grape into his overloaded mouth, "Nice to see you!"

"Likewise," Roderich replied as politely as he could before sitting down with his parents, ignoring the apologetic look Elizaveta sent his way.

"So, my son," Mr. Edelstein began as he leaned back in his chair, "can you remind me how old you are this year?"

Roderich tried hard not to roll his eyes. Before he reached the age of twelve he used to enjoy his birthdays, hoping that each year he would grow taller, better, and be useful to his family. Now he didn't feel the same anymore.

"I'm turning eighteen, father."

"I married your mother at that age." At this sentence Mrs. Edelstein gave her son a small smile.

"Times are different," Roderich replied carefully, "I'm not sure being married at such an early age would be suitable for Elizaveta or for me."

"What do you mean?" Mr. Héderváry asked sharply.

"Now, dear," Mrs. Héderváry said as she patted her husband on the arm, "Let's listen to what Roderich has to say."

"Thank you, Mrs. Héderváry," Roderich said with heartfelt gratitude. "What I meant was if we married," He gestured to Elizaveta and himself, "Elizaveta would have to carry on many duties and not have time for her studies anymore."

"What would she need a university diploma for?" Mr. Héderváry snorted, "I have a high school diploma and look where I am now!"

_**You are very much intelligent and sociable, **_Roderich thought dryly.

"I would like Elizaveta to continue with her studies, dear," Mrs. Héderváry said. "I didn't get the chance to delve further in my academic studies, and I would like our daughter to have this chance."

Mr. Héderváry didn't say anything but crossed his arms and let out a huff.

"How about this," Mrs. Edelstein said, catching the attention of everyone in the room, "We should let our children finish university, or at least wait until they're twenty."

Mr. Edelstein nodded. "If Elizaveta is to marry into our family, it is not acceptable for her to only have a high school diploma. What do you think, Elizaveta?"

"I would like to strive further," Elizaveta replied simply.

"Perhaps we should let the youngsters talk for a moment," Mrs. Héderváry said. The other adults nodded before leaving the room, Mr. Héderváry giving Roderich a glare. Roderich let out a sigh before walking to the window and staring out at the gardens.

"Roderich, I'm sorry my father treats you this way." Elizaveta said.

"Elizaveta," Roderich said softly as he turned around to face his friend. "Are you sure about this whole marriage idea? I'm sure you don't want to be tied down by a meaningless marriage and give up everything you could have."

Elizaveta stared back at him, her green eyes searching violet. She almost looked disappointed. "Roderich, your parents have ideas for other marriage candidates."

"What ideas?" Roderich asked, feeling as if he someone knocked him off his feet. He had thought Elizaveta was the only one his parents had considered as a daughter-in-law. He thought if Elizaveta rejected the marriage idea he would be as free as a bird. No, he was being naïve. His parents, his father at least, would stop at nothing to see the Edelstein family prosper through alliance.

"They are considering the Natalia Alrovskaya."

"That is insane!" Roderich exclaimed as the image of the cold beauty popped into his head. Everybody knew her sadistic tendencies and her obsession for her brother Ivan. "She is head of the Belarusian mafia!"

"Natalia is half-sister to Ivan Braginsky, who invests most of his time and money in ballet and classical music."

"I don't care! This is absurd! Do they even think of my safety?" Roderich said as he paced around the room. If he didn't accept Elizaveta he would have to marry Natalia, who would probably stop at nothing to kill him so she could marry her brother.

"Roderich, I won't force anything on you," Elizaveta said solemnly. "I just want you to know that I would rather marry you than marry someone else, even if it's just on paper."

"Elizaveta…I can't do this to you." Roderich said as he took hold of Elizaveta's hands and looked into her eyes, "I'm dating someone now."

"I know," She smiled as she squeezed his hand. "But I'm fine with it."

Roderich stared at her. "You know?"

"A woman's intuition is always spot on," She replied.

"But still…this isn't fair to you."

"It will be— it will always be."

Roderich sighed. "I should talk to my parents."

Elizaveta smiled. "Of course."

With that Roderich turned and left the room, joining his parents as the Héderváry's went to join their daughter.

"You have known Elizaveta since middle school, is she not good enough for you?" Mrs. Edelstein asked.

"Elizaveta is a wonderful girl, no matter the looks, intelligence, and family background," Mr. Edelstein added.

"Father, we are a musical family, we're aristocrats—why do I have to marry Elizaveta? The Héderváry's are descendants of warriors, nomads! How is this beneficial at all?"

Mr. Edelstein's gaze hardened. "Does this mean you will not accept this marriage?"

"You will come to love her over time," Mrs. Edelstein said quickly before her son could start yet another argument with his father.

"Have you?" Roderich said coldly, and his mother backed away from him, looking hurt.

"Roderich Edelstein, you will not treat your mother this way!"

"Roderich, my dear, my son," Mrs. Edelstein said in a soft voice. "We are in danger…we are nearing bankruptcy, only with a marriage with Elizaveta can save us."

"You will marry her." Mr. Edelstein said in a steely voice.

Roderich couldn't believe the soap opera that was going on in his life, which he spent most of it being frugal, being economic, being…well, stingy, and now his family was facing bankruptcy? Who else knew about this? If Mr. Héderváry did, he was bound to spread it all around—Roderich gasped to himself. This is what his parents were doing. If he married Elizaveta Mr. Héderváry would have no reason to spread this predicament of the Edelstein's to others because his own daughter was now a part of it.

"Roderich—"

"I will marry her." Roderich said in a cold voice as he looked at his parents, his violet eyes filled with disappointment and anger. "This is the last thing I will do for this family."

[End of flashback]

It was painful, dreadfully painful. Roderich began to think he was going crazy as he ended the ballade with heavy depression. A slow clapping sounded from behind him and he snapped his head around, tears almost welling in his eyes when he saw Gilbert, partially shaded in the shadows.

"Gilbert, Gilbert, I—" Roderich was silenced by Gilbert's hand.

"Why?" Gilbert asked quietly.

Roderich blinked quickly before looking away. Gilbert knew, and he had come to question him. "I…my family…we're facing bankruptcy. Marrying Elizaveta is the only way to solve it."

"So you're doing it for your family?"

"You know I don't like her."

"I would throw away everything for you."

"…that's impossible."

"I know."

Roderich's eyes snapped back to Gilbert, whose red eyes lost their normal glow.

"Hey Roddy," Gilbert said as he moved closer. "Can we do it?"

Roderich felt his throat go dry. "Are you proposing to…?" His skin burst into flames where Gilbert touched him.

"That house…" Gilbert murmured, and Roderich held his breath. Did Gilbert already know what the house was for? "If I can't be with you…can I at least be the first one to sleep in it with you?"

"You already are," Roderich said gently, shivering as Gilbert traced a finger on his cheek.

"Liar," Gilbert growled as he grabbed Roderich by the waist and jerked him forward, pressing their lower halves together in a tight embrace, his eyes burning bright and fierce.

"Gilbert—" Roderich began, but was cut off by a crushing kiss that deprived him of air.

"Roderich," Gilbert said painfully when they separated, "Take me to that house."  
-

When Roderich finally managed to open the door with his trembling fingers, Gilbert locked it behind him before he dragged the brunette all the way upstairs to the master bedroom where they previously slept and threw him on the bed.

Roderich's words of protest were drowned out by kisses, his senses overwhelmed by Gilbert's touches. Fear, however, overtook his senses when he felt his pants being pulled down roughly.

"Stop, Gilbert, stop, please," Roderich breathed, and Gilbert stopped abruptly, as if snapping out of some trance, and looked at him with an expression of a wounded beast. He fell on Roderich, his ragged breath pulsing through the brunette's ears.

"I'm sorry," He said.

Roderich patted the albino's back gently, soothingly, like he did after their second kiss. "You should be…but that doesn't matter anymore," He said as he stroked Gilbert's hair. "Make me forget everything but you, and make me remember nothing but you when I sleep on this bed."

Gilbert chuckled. "That was very uncharacteristic of you."

"This is the only time I'm going to say it." Roderich whispered, and Gilbert hovered over him, a feral grin spreading on his face.

"I'm going to make you say that more than once."

* * *

Gilbert pulled Roderich up in a sitting position before leaning in for a kiss. The violet eyes fluttered shut and Gilbert chuckled as he pressed his lips against Roderich's forehead. Roderich opened his eyes in confusion, which made Gilbert laugh.

"I thought you wanted a kiss…" Roderich muttered as he looked away from the albino, his face red to the tip of his ears.

"I do," Gilbert said truthfully as he turned Roderich around to face him. "Let me kiss you."

Roderich smiled and moved closer to Gilbert until he was sitting in the middle of his legs. Gilbert circled his arms around the brunette's waist and kissed him on the lips, the sweet kiss soon becoming hot and possessive. Gilbert held the back of Roderich's head with one hand and griped his waist with another, his tongue parting the brunette's lips and slipping inside his mouth, the two tongues tangling in a frenzied dance.

When the two parted for air, Roderich took off his glasses, set them on the night stand beside the bed, and then pushed Gilbert down with a coy smile as he straddled him.

"Assertive, are you?" Gilbert said as he watched Roderich unbutton his own shirt, letting it fall open and reveal a smooth white chest. Roderich ran a hand on Gilbert's chest before letting it drop lower, teasingly brushing against Gilbert's member.

"Stop that," Gilbert growled gently, and Roderich's smile widened and he began to move his hips, making the albino groan because of the friction.

"Take me," Roderich whispered as he held Gilbert's hand against his cheek and slid it down his body, his violet eyes burning bright.

Gilbert felt blood rush through his ears and a tightening sensation in his pants. He pushed Roderich down and crashed his lips against his, making the brunette shudder when he rubbed a finger against his member through the fabric of his boxers.

"Half-erect already…just how much of a slut are you?" Gilbert whispered in Roderich's ear, making the brunette whack his shoulders.

"It's because it's you, imbecile," Roderich muttered as he fumbled with Gilbert's zipper and cursing when Gilbert moved his hand away.

"Let me," Gilbert said as he took off his shirt and shrugged off his pants along with his boxers, enjoying the expression on Roderich's face. The enjoyment died off when Roderich opened his mouth.

"I've never seen…it's…white?"

"Shut up, you should be impressed by the size—good way to kill the mood," Gilbert muttered as he pulled off Roderich's boxers, making the brunette shiver because of the cold air. He raised Roderich's rear end and let their members brush against one another, his red eyes glinting as he looked at Roderich, who was trembling violently.

Gilbert wrapped a hand around the both of their members and began stroking. Roderich let out a moan of pleasure and Gilbert felt more turned on, both of them feeling the tension curl tighter and tighter until they both released.

"Gilbert…you…have you done this before?" Roderich asked as he fell back onto the pillows, panting heavily.

"I've never done it with a guy before, but when Franny's around it's not hard to pick up a few things." Gilbert said before he reluctantly left the bed to find something.

"Where are you going?" Roderich asked nervously as Gilbert searched around his pants. He held up a tiny foil package with triumph before ripping it open.

"Isn't it too late for a condom?" Roderich laughed. "Is it strawberry flavored?" He added, and Gilbert grinned.

"Close enough. It's apple."

Roderich laughed louder, but his laughter died when Gilbert pressed against him.

"Already? Don't you have something called a refractory period?" Roderich exclaimed as Gilbert slipped on the condom.

"Don't know that word," Gilbert grinned as he spread Roderich's legs open, enjoying the sight. "We don't have lube though—"

"It's in the second right drawer on the top," Roderich blurted out, surprising Gilbert.

"You have lube?"

"I…uh, anyways, it's there." Roderich muttered as he hid his face behind his hands.

"Couldn't wait?" Gilbert said as poured the lube in his hands, rubbing them together to warm it.

"You should have put a condom on your fingers," Roderich whispered as he watched through the space between his fingers.

"Why?"

"Because of, you know— hygienic reasons."

Gilbert laughed. "Roddy, baby, sex is always dirty."

"But—oh," Roderich began, only to be cut off by Gilbert's finger, which pushed against his entrance.

"I hear that rubbing around the butt-hole is pleasure stimulating," Gilbert said as he motioned Roderich to turn around. The brunette turned around and hugged a pillow as he lifted his hips.

"Nah, don't hug that pillow, just spread your butt-cheeks."

"Gilbert, why don't you have a more…civilized way of saying things?" Roderich groaned, despite his obedience. He was answered with a push at his entrance.

"Relax, will you…" Gilbert murmured as he probed a finger around the area.

"Says someone who doesn't try to make me relax," Roderich replied.

"Think about Mozart or Shoppin."

"Are you talking about Chopin?" Roderich said with laughter in his tone.

"Whatever," Gilbert said as he applied some more lube to his hands. "The only guy I really know is Beethoven, because Lud is named after him."

"You should be jealous of Chopin then, because I'm going to think about him. You do know his full name is Frédéric-François Chopin, don't you?"

"Frédéric-François? Isn't that like Old Fritz and Franny? That's…just so weird. Think about another dude."

"I'll think about you then," Roderich said, his voice soft, and Gilbert felt himself get harder. He pushed a finger around Roderich's entrance, prodding and probing and wondering if it felt good. Judging from the way Roderich gasped and the way he shivered violently, it probably was.

"Do you think we can go all the way today?" Gilbert asked as he pushed his finger slowly inside, feeling the warm squeeze of muscles against them.

"No, I don't think so," Roderich gasped.

"I want to though…" Gilbert murmured as he pulled the finger out and pushed it back in gently. "Does it hurt?" He asked.

"I don't know."

"Okay…" Gilbert said as he inserted another finger inside. Somehow he felt that it was pretty easy to insert his fingers, which wasn't supposed to happen during a first.

"Roderich," He asked as he slowly pushed his fingers further before pausing to let the muscles relax, "Have you ever done this yourself?"

Roderich didn't answer and buried his head in the pillows.

"You're going to kill yourself like that." Gilbert chuckled as he noticed the blazing red tips of Roderich's ears. So he had done some prepping himself without knowing when they would do it.

"Talk about eager," Gilbert grinned.

"If it weren't for your fingers I'd kick you," Roderich muttered.

"Hey Roddy, how many fingers have you put in before?"

"…two at best. I can't reach myself properly you know…"

Gilbert grinned again. He was beginning to enjoy this, slow, chatting sex even though he desperately wanted to get thrusting. Suddenly he felt his fingers push against something, his face brightening when he realized it was Roderich's prostate gland, and Roderich let out a moan before catching himself and shutting his lips tight.

"Hey, I wanna hear those moans," Gilbert said as he wiggled his fingers, making Roderich moan again. He smirked and pulled out his fingers, his eyes looking around the room for something else that would fit. Then he saw a candle holder with candles on it.

"Gilbert Beilschmidt, you are not thinking about those candles!" Roderich said as sternly as he could in his position. Gilbert laughed and plucked on from the stand before fitting a condom on it. He poured some more lube into his hands and lubricated the candle before pushing it against Roderich.

"I'm pretty sure it's only a third of my size," Gilbert laughed.

"Make that a half," Roderich muttered. Gilbert frowned before he grinned wickedly and pushed the candle into the brunette in one sharp push.

"Gilbert…did you have to—" Roderich's words were drowned out by his moans, and Gilbert could only guess the candle had nudged against the prostate gland and was working its pleasurable magic.

"Damn, I want to be in you," Gilbert muttered as he felt himself getting jealous of the candle in his hand. He let the candle stay inside for a moment as he began to massage the area around Roderich's entrance. When he felt that the muscles had relaxed he pull the candle out and pushed himself against Roderich.

"You aren't thinking about thrusting in, are you?" Roderich said nervously.

"I'm sorry Roddy," Gilbert said before he pushed forward, stopping when he felt the muscles around him tense. Damn it was a good feeling, but it was pretty tight and painful too.

"You don't feel sorry at all, do you?" Roderich gasped. "That was just…it's burning…"

"I really am," Gilbert said as he kissed Roderich's back.

"It's dulled down now," Roderich said after a few minutes, and Gilbert inched in further, feeling liberated as soon as he hit the rectum area.

"Roddy, can you turn around?" Gilbert asked gently, and Roderich slowly moved his body until he was lying with his back on the sheets. His face was flushed and his violet eyes were hazed with lust.

"Did you just get bigger than you already are?" Roderich whispered, and Gilbert chuckled.

"I guess I did," Gilbert replied. "How are you feeling? Can I push it all in?"

Roderich gave him a smile. "I think you can."

Gilbert pushed forward in one thrust and Roderich let out a sharp cry, jolting upwards before falling back into the pillows, panting.

"I'm in." Gilbert announced, and Roderich laughed lightly.

"How does it feel?" Roderich asked, almost shyly, and Gilbert willed himself not to move even though he wanted to ram in like crazy.

"It feels great to be in you."

"Can I sit up?"

Gilbert's eyes glinted. "You want to ride me?"

"No, I don't. I just want to kiss you." Roderich said as his blush deepened.

"Aw…I thought you were an assertive one." Gilbert said as he grabbed Roderich by the waist and pulled him up, making the brunette gasp with surprise. He sat at the edge of the bed and let Roderich sit on his lap facing him.

"How does it feel?" Gilbert asked, and Roderich wiggled his hips with a smile on his face, making Gilbert groan at the explosion of sensations.

"It doesn't really hurt anymore." Roderich replied before he leaned forward for a kiss. Gilbert chuckled as the two lips met and melded into one another. They continued kissing for a while before Gilbert began his mission of planting love bites all around Roderich's skin, focusing on places that weren't easily seen.

Roderich pushed Gilbert down and the albino grinned as he smoothed Roderich's hair out of his face. "I knew you want to ride me," He whispered, and the brunette laughed.

"Of course I do, I'm not the type that sits there and takes it."

Gilbert watched Roderich lift his hips upwards before pushing it back down, letting out a moan of pleasure. It was a tantalizing sight and Gilbert found himself thrusting upwards urgently, wishing to get more of that friction that drove him crazy.

"This isn't good…" Roderich murmured as he moved his hips, "I think I'm cumming."

"So am I…just the sight of you on top of me is enough," Gilbert said.

"How many times should I make you cum?" Roderich asked coyly as he ran a hand on Gilbert's chest.

"I hear dry orgasms are something," Gilbert replied, and Roderich laughed.

* * *

Roderich woke up with a sore body. It was pretty hard to have the body accustomed to all sorts of positions it wasn't used to after all. The brunette rolled over and felt a pang of panic when he realized Gilbert wasn't there anymore. He looked around the room nervously, his heart sinking. Had Gilbert left already? Suddenly a mouth-watering aroma caught his nose and he heard the sound of clinking kitchenware. Relieved, Roderich washed his face and brushed his teeth as fast as his hygienic mind would allow before throwing on a robe and heading down to the kitchen, laughing when he saw Gilbert standing in the kitchen butt-naked with a pink apron on.

"Hey, no laughing," Gilbert said with a grin as he turned around. "You should be doing this for me, but I figured you'd be too tired to stand up straight."

Roderich smiled as he poured himself a cup of water. "I'm rejuvenated, thanks to you."

"Anytime, Roddy," Gilbert said with a wink and a cock of his hips, making Roderich laugh again. "Aaaannd, breakfast is served," The albino added as he placed two plates on the table with a flourish.

"It looks wonderful," Roderich said as he sat down and rubbed his hands together.

"Nu-uh, did you brush your teeth?"

"No, mother," Roderich said playfully, and Gilbert clucked his tongue.

"You should wash your teeth and give me a morning kiss."

Roderich laughed. "I'm kidding, I did already."

"You did?" Gilbert asked as he leaned in suspiciously. Roderich grabbed him by the hand and pulled him down for a kiss, and Gilbert smiled against his lips.

"Good. Now eat breakfast," Gilbert said as he sat down opposite of Roderich.

As the two began to eat, Roderich began to feel reality sink in. He had done it with Gilbert and it was the best thing that had ever happened to him, but now he was engaged to Elizaveta and it seemed like he was being unfaithful. In fact, by sleeping with Gilbert on that bed, he had dishonored Elizaveta in a way. Roderich began thinking about having the bed replaced.

"Roddy, we can still see each other, right?" Gilbert asked as he poked at his remaining food. "I feel like a girl by asking this, but I'd like to see you now and then."

"I'll make sure we can spend some more time together." Roderich promised.

Gilbert let out a grunt of frustration. "Why do I feel like a mistress on the side? This is so unawesome."

"Gilbert," Roderich said as he set down his utensils, his violet eyes boring into Gilbert's red ones, "You're my first love. I've given you a couple of my firsts and I plan on giving you every single first I have left."

The albino blinked in surprise before laughing. "Sometimes you just say things that are way out of character."

"That's because I mean it." Roderich said seriously, and Gilbert smiled.

"Thanks, Roddy."

Roderich didn't know how to get himself out of the mess. He was engaged to Elizaveta now and his schedule was almost bursting with parties he had to attend and introduce Elizaveta as his fiancé. He didn't want to do it, but a small part of him saw this as an obligation to the family that raised him.

Despite his full schedule, Roderich still made time for Gilbert, the two often meeting in the house in the maze. Every time they met, Roderich felt more alive than when he was with anyone else. Gilbert's lingering touches would leave a blazing trail of want and Roderich found himself falling deeper and deeper. Despite the bitterness of the time spent with his family and the mild depression of the time he spent with Elizaveta, the days always emerged as happy when he was able to see Gilbert. But now as Roderich thought about it, he was a fool for thinking that he could date Gilbert and be engaged to Elizaveta at the same time. In the end, he could only choose one.

He chose Elizaveta.

* * *

**Don't worry, Roderich and Gilbert will have their happy ending...some time later. **

**If you're wondering, Chopin's Ballade no.1 in G minor was played in the movie "The Pianist".**

**I hope you all enjoyed reading this!**


	5. Separation

**Finally! It took longer than I thought to update. **

**I have five chapters on here, and I owe thanks to the wonderful Vevici who beta-read all my chapters!**

**I don't own Hetalia. **

* * *

Roderich felt miserable, sick, disgusted, horrified. Gilbert texted him last night to come over to the house in the maze for a surprise, and Roderich arrived to see a half-naked, panicking Gilbert and a sleeping, disheveled Elizaveta. Roderich already knew he was abnormal by dating Gilbert and being engaged to Elizaveta at the same time, but it was a whole new level when he walked in on them in what was meant to be his and Gilbert's special place.

Gilbert's red eyes widened and his thin lips parted. "Roddy—"

Roderich shook his head frantically as he backed away from Gilbert. "I don't want to know. Just get out of here."

"I didn't—she—"

"Go,_ please_."

"Look, listen to me!"

"Beilschmidt. Just go."

At that sentence Gilbert looked shattered. Roderich looked away from him, blinking quickly to prevent his tears from falling. Gilbert was his whole life, and now he had just ended it.  
-

A few days passed and Gilbert never showed up at school. Roderich sighed. He was the one who told him to leave after all. It was normal that Gilbert would avoid him.

"Roderich," Arthur said in a tone that made the brunette cringe, "I think we should talk."

"We don't have anything to talk about." Roderich said glumly as he pushed the papers on his desk, the words and numbers blurring into a black mass.

"Gilbert hasn't been coming to school."

Roderich paused his actions before sighing. "I wouldn't know why."

"...It sounds like you two had a fight."

"It's more than a fight."

"Roderich," Arthur said seriously, "Gilbert is on suspension."

Roderich blinked. "…suspension?"

"Nobody in the student body knows this except for me, Francis, and now you."

"Why would he be on suspension?"

Arthur narrowed his eyes. "You really don't know?"

"Just tell me, please."

"It seems that Gilbert sexually assaulted one of our female students. He is on suspension during the investigation. I've come to take a liking to that bloke, but his record isn't exactly in his favor."

"He wouldn't—" _**Wouldn't what? **_Roderich's mind thought bitterly as the image of Elizaveta and Gilbert burned into his mind, _**He slept with Elizaveta. It wouldn't be a surprise if he harassed someone.**_

"Roderich, are you sure you don't know anything?"

"You wouldn't understand." Roderich said as he scribbled through a document.

"You do know it concerns Elizaveta also, don't you?"

Roderich stopped writing. "Elizaveta?" he echoed. The image of Gilbert and Elizaveta popped into his mind. It couldn't be about _that_ time, could it? How the hell did people go around knowing these things?

"Elizaveta is your fiancée. Gilbert is your boyfriend. Honestly, Roderich, I think you're the only one who can clear things up."

"I can't. I already chose her." Roderich blurted, and Arthur raised a thick brow.

"You chose Elizaveta?"

"It's a long story. I don't care about him anymore."

"Your eyes tell me otherwise."

The door to the office opened and Francis burst in with an alarmed look on his face. His eyes widened a fraction when he saw Roderich, but he chose to focus his gaze on Arthur.

"Gilbert might be expelled."

Arthur kept his face blank, and Roderich could feel the emerald eyes searching his face for a reaction. "Is there something new on his case?"

"…there's audio evidence." Francis muttered.

"Who provided it?"

"Elizaveta."

"Why would she have the evidence?"

"It was sent to her by mail," Francis said as his blue eyes glanced over to Roderich. "The principal wants to see Roderich."

"Why would the principal need me?" Roderich muttered, even though he knew how irresponsible it made him sound.

Arthur stood up, his emerald eyes hard. "Just come."

Roderich didn't want to go. He wanted to run. He wanted to hide. But he couldn't. What would Gilbert say? What would Gilbert do? What would happen? As the three walked down the hall, the brunette ignored the queasy feeling in his stomach.

Francis and Arthur left Roderich in front of the principal's office before continuing down the hall, holding a solemn conversation. Roderich knocked on the door.

"I'm Roderich Edelstein."

"Come in." The principal said, and Roderich pushed open the door and headed in. Gilbert was standing in the middle of the room. His head turned upon Roderich's arrival, but his expression gave nothing away. Elizaveta was sitting in a chair on the side of the room, looking at her lap while twisting her fingers with one another. She looked up.

"Roderich…why are you here?" She asked tiredly, the corners of her eyes red and her voice sounded broken from crying.

"Mr. Edelstein is here because he is your fiancée, Ms. Héderváry," The vice principal began with sympathy, "And we believe he is entitled to know what happened."

"This is humiliation," Gilbert spat. "This should be private."

"They are engaged, Mr. Beilschmidt. I believe Mr. Edelstein would not feel comfortable knowing his wife is no longer—"

"That is enough," The principal interrupted before the vice principal could continue his horrible sentence.

"Fine then," The vice principal said with a huff. "Mr. Edelstein, please have a seat."

Roderich sat down beside Elizaveta. Everything was still unclear to him. For all he knew Gilbert had slept with Elizaveta, but he had no idea of the nature of their actions. Did Gilbert force her? Did she seduce him? There were many possibilities running through his mind, and despite him feeling Elizaveta had been wronged, he didn't want to rule out any other possibilities until Gilbert spoke—for somewhere in his mind, he wanted to believe Gilbert.

"Mr. Beilschmidt, Ms. Héderváry has been brave enough to let your horrible deed come to light—if it were not for her, there would have been another victim." The vice principal said as he glanced at Elizaveta approvingly. "It's time to tell the truth, don't you think?"

"What do you think is the truth?" Gilbert asked.

"Pardon me?"

"What do you think is the truth?" Gilbert asked again, and the vice principal smirked.

"It has been brought to my attention that you have had this measly club and you've asked Mr. Edelstein for club funds. He refused to give it to you, and after a few weeks you suddenly decided that you would let the student council abolish your club…because you have revenge in mind, yes? To assault Ms. Héderváry and get 'even' with Mr. Edelstein."

Gilbert snorted. "Is your brain the size of a postage stamp? Who would 'assault' a girl because of money?"

"Oh, you say this, Mr. Beilschmidt, but there are many people out there who do that—and you have just become one of them."

Gilbert let out a low growl. "This is bullshit—"

"Did you, or did you not, Mr. Beilschmidt," The vice principal interrupted loudly, "Sexually assault Ms. Héderváry?"

"I wouldn't call it assault, but of course, you guys wouldn't believe me." Gilbert said quietly. _**Say no,**_ Roderich found himself hoping desperately, _**Say no!**_

"You didn't answer the question, Mr. Beilschmidt."

Elizaveta burst into tears and the vice principal looked at her with pity. Gilbert looked at Elizaveta, his burning red eyes suddenly mellowing down into the wonderful soothing autumn red that Roderich loved. Gilbert only looked like that when he was with Roderich, the brunette had never seen him look at other people this way, and it made him sick that Gilbert would look at other people that way.

Roderich remembered he once asked Gilbert what he was thinking about for his eyes to be such a wonderful shade of red. Gilbert just smiled at him before pressing a kiss to his lips, saying "I was thinking about you."

_**Liar, **_Roderich spat bitterly in his mind.

"Anyways, even if you don't admit to harassing Elizaveta, Mr. Beilschmidt," The vice principal said after he cleared his throat, "I have a reason to believe you did." He brandished a blank CD in Gilbert's face, and the albino's eyes widened just a fraction before his expression went back to its neutral state.

"Are you not curious about what's in this CD?" The vice principal continued, "Or do you already know what's in it—because Ms. Héderváry claimed that it was dropped in her mailbox…obviously by you."

Gilbert sighed. "Look, dude, I think we already know what's going to happen."

"Would you like me to play this for you?" The vice principal said as he moved towards the CD player.

"I don't need to listen to it!" Gilbert burst out, taking everyone in the room by surprise before continuing more softly, "You don't even have to think to know that's inside that CD. It's evidence, okay? Evidence that I sexually assaulted her."

Roderich wanted to throw up.

"So you admit that you did?" The vice principal said with a gleam in his eyes.

Gilbert looked at the vice principal, his gaze steady. "I would like to talk to the principal, alone."

"You're not answering the question!" The vice principal screeched, and the principal just raised his hand to silence him.

"I will talk to Mr. Beilschmidt alone." The principal said in a tone that allowed no objections, "Mr. Edelstein, Ms. Héderváry, please follow the vice principal into the adjoining room. I will call you when we're done talking. Mr. Beilscmidt, please take a seat."

Roderich followed Elizaveta and the vice principal into the other room, closing the door behind him. He looked at Elizaveta.

"Why didn't you tell me?" The brunette whispered to his fiancée.

"I was ashamed…" Elizaveta said softly, her voice cracking with tears that welled up into her green irises. "He…I…"

"Shhh." Roderich said soothingly, but he didn't move to wrap an arm around Elizaveta's quivering shoulders. Part of him believed her, but the other part believed Gilbert. He would just have to wait for what would be the longest five minutes of his life.

When the principal opened the door, Gilbert was already gone.

"Did he admit?" The vice principal said haughtily.

The principal looked at Roderich. "Yes, he did, and he took full responsibility."

Roderich couldn't breathe. Gilbert had admitted to forcing Elizaveta. Just knowing that made him nauseous.

"Mr. Beilschmidt has told me his reasons and I shall keep those confidential," The principal continued, "And in exchange I let him withdraw from the school in his own accord. Starting tomorrow Mr. Beilschmidt won't attending this school, and we will not be pursuing this case any longer if Ms. Héderváry does not file a lawsuit."

"I won't…" Elizaveta murmured. "It will ruin my reputation."

Roderich desperately wanted to get away. And he did.

"Where are you going, Mr. Edelstein?" The vice principal called after him, but Roderich just pushed through the doors and ran down the hall, bursting into the student council room and grabbing his belongings.

"Roderich—wait!" Arthur cried as he tried to run after him, only to be stopped by Francis' hand.

"Leave him be," Francis said as he showed Arthur his cell phone, "Gilbert has decided."

"What does the bloody git mean by 'I'm sorry?'" Arthur yelled as he read Gilbert's message, "Is he going to run away? That's it? So he really did do what he was accused of? This is absurd!"

"I believe we have to tell Ludwig after school." Francis said somberly, "But Gilbert will be gone by then."  
-

Roderich ran home and locked himself in his room. The butler knocked on the door to ask if he was alright, to which Roderich yelled that he wished to be left alone. After a few silent minutes, the butler told him someone had dropped off something in the mail that was addressed to him.

"Could you bring it to me?" Roderich asked as he tried to tone down the misery in his voice.

"Of course, young master."

When the butler gave Roderich the wrapped up CD case through the crack of his door, Roderich laughed mirthlessly. It seemed to be the same CD the vice principal had waved in Gilbert's face; the CD the albino was accused of dropping off at Elizaveta's house.

After a while Roderich finally worked up the courage to get his laptop and insert the CD inside. He listened to the audio clip until the very end before he rushed to the bathroom to vomit. It was sickening. The horrible sounds of Gilbert making love to someone else other than him pierced through his ears and shattered all sense of rationality. Roderich felt insane jealously rush through him and felt sick at the feeling.

Roderich spent the night waiting, waiting for a call or a text or anything, anything that would provide an explanation to him from Gilbert. It never came. That day, the next day, and the day after, Roderich never got his explanation.

It was a month later that Francis told him Gilbert had left for Germany. He had left a note for Ludwig, saying that he was going to stay with their grandfather in Munich for the remainder of the year. Arthur didn't speak about Gilbert, nor did Antonio.

Elizaveta was never the same. When she smiled she looked as if she was about to cry. Roderich never once touched her, gave her words of comfort, or even acknowledged what had happened. Their parents didn't know. They didn't need to know. The two had made a silent pact that nothing ever happened.

Three months passed since then, and Roderich was still living a nightmare. He would go to school, do his homework and his student council work, come home, and lie on his bed for hours. On weekends he wouldn't see anyone, go anywhere, and skipped most of his meals. He would just stay in his room with his piano and wallow in self-pity.  
-

The brunette had been rolling on his bed for the fifth hour when his cell phone rang. He exerted some effort to pick it up, sighing when he saw the caller ID flashing.

"Arthur, I appreciate you worrying about me, I really do, but will you stop calling me five times a day?"

"_Roderich, I just want to know if you're alright— you haven't been yourself these days, and it's beginning to show through your work."_

"I'll get over it."

"_I don't see you doing that."_

"It takes time, okay? Look, what would you do if Alfred slept with somebody you know, got expelled for it after sending an audio copy of the whole thing to you, _and_ left without saying a word?"

"_I'm sure Gil—"_

"Don't say his name, please."

"…_I'm sure he has his reasons for disappearing like that…and how things stand right now it may seem that he's done unreasonable things—"_

"He slept with Elizaveta!" Roderich blurted out as he tried to muffle his voice with his pillow. It'd probably feel better to smother his face with it while he was at it.

"_From what I know you were juggling them on your hands—did you really think you could be engaged to Elizaveta while dating him?"_

Roderich ended the call. What Arthur said was true. He had been too naïve to see that it was impossible, and it hurt.

Four months after the incident Roderich and Elizaveta threw their official engagement party. As much as Roderich hated to admit, every inch of his body was straining for Gilbert. Nobody knew what the albino was up to, not to mention Roderich. The brunette sighed and looked at the mirror. He felt suffocated in the formal attire he was used to wearing.

The party was just an hour away and he was supposed to kiss Elizaveta during the party, something he wasn't looking forward to.

He and Elizaveta had grown closer, ironically because of Gilbert, but the two hadn't done anything. Sure, they kissed a couple of times by now, but they were all for display. Roderich never touched her unless for display after all.

"Roderich?" Elizaveta called softly, and the brunette put on a smile.

"Yes, Elizaveta?"

"Can I...kiss you?"

Roderich turned around to face his fiancee. "Okay."

Elizaveta's face brightened momentarily before she realized Roderich wasn't that eager about this. Nonethless, she leaned forwards, her lashes fluttering and her green eyes closing as her face inched closer to Roderich's. Roderich kept his eyes open, waiting for something to happen.

Lips pressed against lips lightly, and after that, nothing. There was no spark of passion, no electricity shooting up the spine, no shiver of pleasure, just a light kiss. They parted and Roderich excused himself, saying that he was off to see the preparations. Seconds after he closed the door behind him, the brunette bolted towards the nearest men's washroom and rinsed his mouth thoroughly, careful not to rub his lips raw.

Roderich splashed his face with water in hopes to wake himself up, and looked at his dripping face in the mirror. He was disgusted from that kiss, like he always was.

"Dammit..." He muttered as he dried off his face, "Dammit."

* * *

That day after he spoke to the principal Gilbert ran home, stuffed two duffel bags with his important belongings and headed off to the airport. He left a note for Ludwig, saying that he was going to Germany and he would write when he arrived.

It hurt too much to stay anymore.

He couldn't believe Elizaveta tricked him into having sex with her. What happened to the "I actually like you so if you sleep with me I'll annul the engagement with Roderich"? He should have known. The bitch was a liar. He couldn't believe how they used to be friends.

When Gilbert arrived in Munich, Germany, he went to his grandfather's house.

"What are you doing here?" his _opa_ said with heavy suspicion when Gilbert showed up at his doorstep, "Aren't you supposed to be in school?"

"I dropped out." Gilbert muttered.

"You got what?"

"I dropped out.."

Gilbert was awarded with a good, solid beating and nowhere to stay.

"Shit," Gilbert muttered when he dragged himself from the ground, "I think I'm going to Paris—it's the city of love, right?"

Gilbert spent a couple of hours on the train before trudging mindlessly around, deciding to spend the night in a sturdy tree when he saw one. He climbed the tree, smiling at the family of little yellow birds, and sat there hidden within the leaves. Nobody noticed him, and for some reason, Gilbert felt like a refugee.

He hadn't anticipated his grandfather's reaction and he hadn't really made a plan—he just bought the ticket and ran, after all. The little yellow birds began chirping to him animatedly, and though the albino found it noisy he couldn't bring himself to tell them to shut up. The birds looked at him with their black shiny eyes and waved with soft yellow wings around until one of them flew out of the nest and into the apartment building next door. The rest followed suit, and soon they were flying back, carrying a chunk of bread that was at least twice their size in all, and dropped it in Gilbert's hands.

"Wow…thanks, you guys are awesome." Gilbert breathed in awe as the last bird dropped a small packet of butter in his hands.

"You know what?" He continued as he chewed the bread, "I think I should be a bird like you guys in the next life—I'm worthless as a human. People remember me because I'm shit."

The birds chirped crazily as if to tell him otherwise.

"Nah, I know I'm not that great. I mean, I dropped out, ran away without plans, got the shit beat out of me by my gramps and now I'm hiding in a tree! No, nothing's wrong with your tree…it's just me. I'm all wrong. I'm a miserable, unawesome failure."

One of the birds flew on his shoulders and nuzzled his cheek. Gilbert smiled gently and patted a hand on the fluffy bird.

"Thanks man, for everything."  
-

The next morning Gilbert heard a little chirp of horror and snapped awake. The birds began to chirp wildly and flapped their tiny wings. Gilbert looked down and realized that one of the baby birds had fallen out of the nest and was being chased by a fat old cat. He jumped out of the tree, duffel bags and all, and grabbed the cat by its neck.

"Hey there old buddy, you ain't gonna eat my friend."

The cat mewed and waved its paws at Gilbert, who just smirked and held it far away as the little bird, which just sat on the sidewalk, dazed.

"Now, you promise me that you're not going to eat my friend, I will let you go, _mi_ _amigo_, uh, no, what was it…yeah! _Mon ami_."

The cat raised a paw sullenly in agreement, but the moment Gilbert set it back on the ground it pounced towards the little bird, but not as fast as Gilbert, who cupped the poor animal in his hands.

"Hey, you promised me!" Gilbert yelled at the cat, kicking his feet to keep the cat at bay, "I should have known it, cats are liars!"

Suddenly the door to the left flew open and an old woman came out, screeching in French and spitting all over the place as she waved her broom threateningly at Gilbert.

"Hey, lady, this cat was trying to kill this little bird!" Gilbert shouted as he tried to let the old woman see the shivering little bird in his palm. The woman just shouted at him and pointed to the cat, which Gilbert now understood, was hers.

The cat began to roll on the ground and mew in a tragic tone as if it had been abused severely, and the woman knelt to coo at it. Gilbert wanted to get back up in the tree but he was afraid that the woman might have it cut down just to get him. Besides, the stupid cat was blocking his way.

The woman stood up and began yelling at Gilbert, beating her broom on him relentlessly as the cat smiled smugly.

"What the fuck lady, can't you see your cat was about to eat a poor little bird?"

The woman screamed some more French and was about to hit Gilbert again when a window on the second floor opened, and Gilbert saw a blond teen with lavender eyes and an odd curl sticking out of his head like Feliciano and Lovino.

The teen spoke in French to the woman, who screamed back a response as she waved her broom at Gilbert.

"Man, this fat cat here is trying to kill a poor little bird! Wait, do you even speak English? God, I knew I should have taken those French lessons from Francis even though he'd probably teach me to say 'Oh god baby it feels good' instead of 'Do you know where the bus stop is'…" Gilbert muttered, and he felt a squeeze of pain knowing that he had left his friends behind just like that.

The teen just glanced at him before speaking in a long line of French and finally getting the old woman to go back into her house with her cat.

Gilbert had to thank the teen. What was that word again? "_Merci_," he tried, wincing when the teen let out a soft giggle. "My name's Gilbert."

The teen opened his window wider, the smile on his face radiant and welcoming. "My name's Matthew. Gilbert, would you like to come in and eat breakfast with me? I'm making pancakes."

Gilbert opened his mouth and blushed when the two heard an audible sound of stomach growling.

"Come right in," Matthew said with a smile, "I think you'll have to use the tree though—the landlady won't let you in."

"Thanks," Gilbert replied before he looked around, climbed the tree, and hopped through the window in a fluid motion. The little bird in his hands chirped, and Gilbert reached his hand out of the window to put it back in its nest, smiling as the birds chirped their thanks.

He set his duffel bags on the floor and looked around. It was a spacious apartment and it was decorated with taste despite of having little furniture in it.

"Why don't you use the bathroom first?" Matthew said as he pointed to the direction of the bathroom, "I have some spare towels and some clothes that might fit you…" The blond muttered as he looked through his dresser.

Gilbert was beginning to feel uneasy. "You're weird," he said.

Matthew laughed gently. "I'll take that was a compliment."

"Nobody is this good to a stranger who has a black eye on his face," Gilbert explained further. He couldn't believe that he had met Matthew at all. It seemed like pure good luck—or not, as Gilbert refused to believe in the luck of meeting a nice stranger.

"I'm nobody then," Matthew said lightly. Gilbert frowned as the blond pressed a towel and some clothes in his hands. "Go help yourself to a warm bath. It'll take some time to make the pancakes."

Gilbert looked at Matthew a second too long before he headed to the bathroom. Why did Matthew think he was a 'nobody'? To Gilbert, he was a saviour, and that certainly didn't make him a nameless dude in Gilbert's history. He had some questions about Matthew as well, since it looked like he was younger than Gilbert and it was unlikely for him to live alone without his parents.

Oh well, he would have them answered if he and Matthew ever got to the point. He took a nice, lukewarm bath and a quick shower before drying himself. He looked at Matthew's clothes and tried them on. Oddly, they fit him perfectly, but Gilbert was sure he was a size bigger than the slender blond.

"Thanks for the shower." Gilbert said as he followed the smell of pancakes into the kitchen.

"Oh, you're done?" Matthew said while Gilbert watched him set a platter of pancakes on the table before motioning him to take a seat, "You could have taken your time—or does a stranger's bathroom feel uncomfortable?"

Gilbert shook his head. "Nah, I take quick showers. These smell really good," he added as he sat down, his eyes fixated on the perfect fluffiness of the pancakes that were topped with maple syrup and a chunk of butter.

"Thanks for this, I'm famished. Mind if I dig in?"

Matthew laughed while he nodded, and Gilbert began wolfing down the pancakes. He was damn hungry and hadn't eaten since that chunk of bread last night, which barely made up for two days of not eating.

"How long have you been travelling?" Matthew asked as he sipped on a cup of coffee.

"Not long, I just came from Munich." Gilbert replied.

"You're German, then," Matthew said decisively, which made Gilbert raise an eyebrow.

"How can you know for sure? I might be Austrian."

"I have a knack of looking at people," Matthew said with a laugh, "and according to my experience…you must be German. Perhaps you were visiting a relative? Say…your grandfather?"

Gilbert almost choked on his food. "Are you psychic or something?"

Matthew smiled. "You speak English fluently, don't know much French-which means you probably grew up outside of Germany, thus your family is probably an immigrant family. You've only been travelling for a short time—with your first stop being Munich, which suggests you have relatives over there...and you visiting your grandfather was just a good guess."

"Creepy but cool." Gilbert admitted as he finished off the pancakes in front of him. "I should be going, by the way."

"You should stay," Matthew said firmly. Gilbert looked at him with surprise and wondered how far his hospitality extended. "You slept in a tree yesterday, and I think you need some good rest. Where are you heading next? I can show you the way."

"You're not…trying to get something out of me, are you?" Gilbert said suspiciously, and Matthew laughed.

"It's not like I can get anything out of cheating a poor traveller like you."

"Hey, that hurt."

"I don't get many visitors," Matthew admitted, "So I would like to know you more—besides, what's there to lose on your end?"

Gilbert hated to admit Matthew had a point. "Okay, I'll stay for one night."

Gilbert found himself taking an instant liking to Matthew, who took Gilbert out for sight-seeing and taught him some survival French, which he assured didn't mean "Lick me all over" or "Do you want to go get a room with me." Matthew didn't ask him questions, but the weird thing was people seemed to ignore Matthew like he didn't exist. Wherever they went people assumed Gilbert was on his own until Matthew started speaking in a torrent of French.

"Why would you think I would teach you phrases like 'Oh god you're so good I'm melting'?" Matthew asked with amusement as the two sat outside a café and watched people pass by. Most people gave Gilbert weird looks and didn't even notice that Matthew was putting his feet on the table.

"Well, I have a friend called Francis, and he's the pervert of perverts, always insisting 'French is the language of love' and I should know those phrases." Gilbert said almost wistfully as the image of his blond friend popped up in his mind.

"Do you miss him already?" Matthew said with a soft smile.

"Yeah, and Toni too, he's Spanish."

"Did he give you any language lessons like your friend Francis?"

Gilbert chuckled. "He taught me a bunch, but I still can't get a hang of it."

"I see. They are good friends, aren't they? It seems like you miss them a lot. I miss my brother a lot even though we talk online every day. He's been dating someone for the past year now, and I'm really happy for him."

"At least I hear some good news," Gilbert muttered. "I don't think I'll ever believe in love again, or at least, women."

Matthew just smiled at him, as if he were waiting for him to continue or drop the subject. Gilbert chose to continue.

"You see, a girl tricked me and made my boyfriend break up with me and forced me to drop out."

"I don't think this is something you tell a stranger, is it?" Matthew said gently.

"Well, are you judging me?" Matthew shook his head. "I didn't think so. Anyways, that girl made me lose faith in all women, except my mom, probably."

"I never liked women from the start," Matthew said as he set his feet down and leaned forward to Gilbert, "I admire them, but they just aren't for me."

"Oh," Gilbert said, unsure how to react.

"Don't worry," Matthew said with a wink, "You're not my type—besides, I think you're still in love with your boyfriend."

"Yeah," Gilbert said glumly. "But he's marrying that bitch."

"Sounds complicated. Do you want to go back to the apartment? I have some drinks stashed there."

Gilbert let out a chuckle. "Sure."  
-

The next morning Gilbert found himself naked in bed with Matthew.

"Oh my god!" Gilbert yelled as he fell off the bed, his hand searching around for anything that would cover his lower half.

"What?" Came Matthew's voice before there was a soft laugh. "Gilbert, we didn't do anything, if that's what you're worrying about."

"Then why are we naked?" Gilbert asked as he quickly flipped through yesterday night's memories. The pair had headed back to Matthew's apartment and began watching boring shows on TV...they drank...talked...and then what...oh. Oh.

"I threw up?"

"Yes, you did."

"But that doesn't explain why you're starch naked."

Matthew laughed. "I did this to tease you."

"That wasn't nice..." Gilbert muttered with a pout before he regarded Matthew with new-found respect. "You know, I always thought my friends and I could hold our liquor better than anyone else, but you...you're just...a monster," He finished, frowning when he remembered Roderich had said something similar before.

"Would you like to take a shower first?"Matthew offered as he wrapped his lower half in the bed sheet, "I can fix up some breakfast and then I'll drop you off at the Eiffel tower."

"Sure," Gilbert said as he nodded his head with thanks and then headed to the bath to take a hot shower. When he came out Matthew was already dressed and eating breakfast.

"What do you plan on doing next?" Matthew asked as he speared his salad, "The Eiffel tower is just a part of Paris."

"Well...I'll just go with the flow then."

"It sounds like you have quite the plan there," Matthew said with a smile.

"Yup. Maybe we'll meet again someday around Paris."

"Maybe," Matthew said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

Gilbert looked at him, his red eyes kindling with soothing warmth. "You'll have to treat me to something the next time we meet."

Matthew nodded. "I will."  
-

Gilbert sighed. After four months of hanging around in Paris and getting his fair share of pub fights, cigarette sharing, and huddling in trees and alleyways, Gilbert decided Paris really wasn't his thing- or he just didn't know how to enjoy it. Now he was back at the Eiffel tower, broke, hungry, and wondering what to do next.

He looked around the ground to see if there was some change he could pick up. It seemed pitiful to others, but Gilbert stopped caring about the weird and sympathetic stares he was getting a long time ago.

Just as the albino slumped on a bench in defeat, he heard an unmistakable chirping sound. A familiar yellow fluff-ball appeared in front of him, flapping its wings joyously, its little black eyes shining.

"It's you!" Gilbert laughed as the little bird sat on his knee. "How'd you find me? Is Matthew with you?" He asked as he looked around for a familiar blond. He then spotted Matthew hiding behind a lamp-post.

"Hey Matthew!" Gilbert yelled as he waved his hand, and several people gave him weird looks as if he was talking to air.

Matthew shuffled out from behind the post and then looked at Gilbert uncertainly. "Are you calling me?" He asked, and Gilbert chuckled.

"Who else would I be calling? You're the only Matthew I know."

Matthew suddenly ran up to him and flung himself in the albino's arms, making the latter worry what was wrong.

"You remember me!" Matthew yelled with joy, and Gilbert frowned.

"Of course I would."

"He remembers me!" Matthew sang as he danced around a kissing couple who didn't notice him at all.

"Uh...Matthew, Mattie-do you mind me calling you that-anyways, can you just stop that?"

"Hmm?" Matthew sang as he turned to Gilbert, his lavender eyes glittering. "Oh, Gilbert, would you like to eat some pancakes?"

Gilbert swallowed whatever he wanted to say the moment the fluffy, gorgeous pancakes entered his mind. Damn he was hungry.

"Can I have a dozen of them?"

Matthew laughed as he grabbed his hand and began dragging him away from the tower. "You can have twice of that!"

Gilbert grinned. It was nice to have someone holding his hand. He never remotely held hands with Roderich- thought of the brunette dampened his mind a bit-but sometimes when their hands brushed against each other warmth would spread from the area and make his heart tingle with a sweet feeling.

"What's with the lack of furniture going around here?" Gilbert asked the moment they arrived at Matthew's apartment. The blond already had little furniture the last time Gilbert was here, but now most of it was gone and there were boxes stacked up in the corner, ready for shipping.

"Well," Matthew said as he rummaged his cupboard for ingredients, "I decided that if I meet you again I'll travel with you!"

"But the way you just acted...it's like you were afraid I'd forget about you! Then what's the point of waiting?" Gilbert asked in amazement as he looked around the near-empty apartment.

"I decided that if I don't see you today I'll leave and travel on my own!" Matthew said in an excited tone. "I knew if I slept beside you nude you would definitely remember me!"

Gilbert choked on his water. "You did that on purpose? And I didn't remember you because you slept beside me nude!"

"Oh...so that's not it?" Matthew pouted as he began mixing the batter, "I thought it would leave an impact."

"It did...but-" Gilbert stopped himself before he could say anymore. "Anyways, do you have an idea of our next destination?"

"Let's go to Belgium! Then England, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain..." Matthew hummed as he poured the batter into the heating skillet, "And then Asia, like China, Japan, Vietnam, Taiwan...ooh, Korea and Hong kong!"

Gilbert chuckled. Somehow Matthew was beginning to sound like Alfred.

The incident with Roderich was now pushed to the back of his head. For now, Gilbert wanted to have some fun and look around to shake himself out of the fog.

"Yeah, let's go around."

Matthew smiled. "I'm sure it's going to lots of fun. Whenever you feel like going home, is it okay if I come with you?"

"Sure," Gilbert said as he watched Matthew top the pancakes with maple syrup and butter, "I don't know when though."

Matthew patted Gilbert's head. "Don't worry, even though I don't know what happened, things will be alright for you. By the way, this little bird has been on your head for quite some time. Are you going to name it?"

The little yellow bird chirped and flapped its wings.

"Gilbird," Gilbert said after half a second, a grin spreading on his face, "I'm going to name it Gilbird."

* * *

**Yay, Matthew finally appears in the story!**

**The next chapter is going to take some time, but I think it'll be done in three days. Not a promise, but maybe.**

**Please review!**


	6. Absence

**I congratulate myself on squeezing this chapter out in three (or was it four) days :)**

**Aside from self-loathing French kissing, a drunken phone call and a car crash, I think this chapter is relatively uneventful, don't you think?**

**I don't own Hetalia! Enjoy!**

* * *

Gilbert's absence was just horrifying. Roderich found that he was unable to sleep, eat, and work properly. Roderich didn't understand himself at all. He was acting like a zombie when he was supposed to be happy that Gilbert was gone. It was true they had a past, but after what the albino did to Elizaveta, Roderich was sure that he was better off without him.

When graduation rolled around, Roderich felt nauseous because Gilbert wasn't there to graduate with the rest of them. When other students asked about Gilbert, the teacher just said he withdrew for personal reasons. After the ceremony Roderich dropped by at Elizaveta's house to give her a graduation present—their wedding rings.

"Elizaveta?" Roderich asked as he pushed open the door to his fiancee's room, frowning when she looked like she was trying to hide something but didn't have the time to do so.

"Oh, Roderich, I could have been changing," Elizaveta laughed nervously.

"What's that in your hand?" Roderich asked as he gestured to the small square box that was wrapped in dark blue.

"This is just something I bought for my mother—she wanted a pendant of a Cross."

Roderich was skeptical, but he believed she had her reasons.

The talk about a Cross made Roderich's mind wander to Gilbert. Gilbert had a German Cross that was given to him by his grandfather and he hung it on his neck. Roderich had been curious about the Cross before they started dating since he never failed to see Gilbert without it. Roderich recalled being jealous of the Cross because he knew Gilbert treasured it as the most important thing in his life.

"I brought you a graduation gift," Roderich said as he moved towards the table in the room and set down a small velvet box. "Our wedding rings. Normally I would have to be on one knee and ask for your hand in marriage, but we both know that we are going to be married..." Roderich opened the box and pushed it towards Elizaveta, who gasped in surprise.

"These are beautiful, Roderich," She said as she picked up the smaller ring and fit it on her hand. "It's wonderful..."

Roderich forced a smile. "I'm glad you like it. Maybe you could show off to Feliks during his party tonight."

Feliks, the son of the Łukasiewicz family, liked to have his own little party on the side. He would let the adults do their own business in puffing cigars and drinking expensive wine while the teenagers would go to another building and have 'teenage fun'.

"Of course!" Elizaveta said happily as she raised her hand and looked at the glittering dimond that was set in the middle. Just as Roderich was thinking about what to say, his cell phone rang.

"Is that 'Salut d'Amour?'" Elizaveta asked, and Roderich quickly fumbled with his phone. It wasn't like he set the piece as his ring tone because he wanted to remember how warm and vibrant Gilbert's violin sounded; he just liked the piece, that's all.

"Hello?"

"_Ah, Roderich, where are you? I thought we agreed that I am going to pick out your outfit for tonight." _Francis said.

"I just dropped by at Elizaveta's house to give her the ring,"Roderich said as he watched Elizaveta admired her ring over and over again. "I have to go. Wait for me here and I'll come pick you up tonight," He said to her.

"Okay," Elizaveta replied, her green eyes still fixed on the ring.

With that being said, Roderich quickly left and headed back to his home as if he were running away from the devil itself.

* * *

"Why do I need to try on so many clothes?" Roderich asked as he stared at the pile of shirts and the strewn pants and ties.

"You know the Łukasiewicz family name all the brands for the season, _mon cher._ What they wear is the latest and what they like immediately sell well. They are the lead in fashion, and when you go to their parties, there is only one thing to remember: they are party animals and are picky about what you wear, therefore you should always make sure you have enough stamina and that you dress well."

"I wish I didn't have to go..." Roderich said. He had always hated going to parties and now he hated them even more because he had to be with Elizaveta all the time.

"I know you do not love her," Francis said as he sensed Roerich's thoughts while he pressed a shirt to his chest, "But you should try. It is best if you can achieve happiness with her."

Roderich sighed. "I don't know. Can the passing of time make you love someone wholeheartedly?"

"Time does not make a difference in love. You could know someone for ten minutes and fall in love with them. In my case it was truly love at first sight."

Roderich looked at his cousin, his violet eyes widening. It was rare for Francis to talk about his first love.

"You will never love Elizaveta as much as you love him," Francis continued, "But you must try to accept her. Right now you are just treating her as a tool."

Roderich bit his lower lip. Francis was right. He was treating Elizaveta unfairly and he should at least try to accept their relationship.

"I'll try," He said as he stared at himself in the mirror, "I'll try."  
-

Roderich just finished dressing when he heard a knock on his door. Francis had gone to Feliks' house earlier to help with the preparations, leaving Roderich to piece up the rest of his attire.

"Come in," He said as he checked his tie one more time in the mirror. Through the reflection he saw Elizaveta enter and close the door behind her.

"I told you I was going to pick you up," Roderich said without turning from the mirror. Elizaveta smiled sweetly.

"I thought it would be quicker if I came first, because my house is in the opposite direction of Feliks'."

Roderich looked at her through the mirror with his violet eyes and thought about Francis' words. He should at least try, right? "I see. Elizaveta?"

"Yes, Roderich?"

"Do you love me?" Roderich asked as he turned around. Elizaveta's smile fell a bit and her green eyes darkened with sadness.

"I do. I really do."

"…you look sad."

"You're still in love with someone else."

"Ah…" Gilbert flashed in Roderich's mind. Elizaveta didn't know they were dating, so she still thought that Roderich had someone. "We…we're not dating anymore."

"Really?" Elizaveta asked, making Roderich feel guilty with the hopeful tone in her voice.

"Yes—but I still don't look at you that way."

Elizaveta looked crestfallen. "Oh."

"But I'm willing to try," Roderich said quickly as he moved to sit beside Elizaveta. "If you could give me some time…"

Eliaveta smiled gently. "Of course, Roderich. I would do anything for you."

Roderich tried to smile back. He felt like a liar.

"Let's go, shall we?" Elizaveta suggested, "I know you like to be punctual."

"Of course," Roderich replied as he held out an arm for Elizaveta. "Let's go."

* * *

"Hey," Feliks said as he greeted the couple at the doorway in a hot pink dress. The room behind him was dark with various lights dancing off the walls. Roderich resisted the urge to sigh. Whenever Feliks threw a party, the place always looked like a night club. "You two look totally fab."

Roderich looked at Elizaveta and they both decided not to comment on Feliks' clothing choice. "Thank you for inviting us, we really appre—"

Feliks held up a hand to stop Roderich from speaking. "I totally don't need your appreciation," The peppy blond smiled, "Just come on in and have a good time. Oh, before you do though, I totally want to talk to you, Roderich."

"I'll be in the lounge," Elizaveta shouted over the music before she slipped away into the throng of dancing teenagers.

Feliks grabbed Roderich by the hand dragged him to the second floor. They approached a room that had glass walls on two sides, one overlooking the dance floor on the first floor and one holding the door. Feliks pushed open the door and ushered Roderich in.

"This room is amazing," Roderich marveled as the music died off the moment the door closed. He then wondered what Feliks wanted to talk to him about. They rarely had a common topic

"I know, right?" Feliks chirped as he flopped down on the sofa. "Francis called me earlier today, saying that you and I need a small pep talk."

Roderich rolled his eyes. "I don't need cheering up, if that's what he thinks."

"You totally need some spiked up drinks," Feliks said as he grabbed a bottle of juice from the mini-fridge and poured a glass for Roderich. The brunette eyed his drink suspiciously and Feliks laughed.

"Don't worry, it's not spiked. If you want I can try it for you."

"There's no need for that—thank you." Roderich muttered while Feliks leaned back on the sofa.

"Francis told me that you've been having love problems."

Roderich almost spit out his juice.

"Elizaveta and I are not—"

"Who said anything about Eliza? It's _him_ I'm talking about." Feliks said with a glint in his eyes, and Roderich stiffened.

"Francis can't keep his mouth shut, can he?"

"What? Oh, no," Feliks laughed, "It wasn't Francis. He's totally tight-lipped about this. I just pieced it up."

Roderich decided it was best if he didn't ask how Feliks managed to piece up this information. "I don't think I need a talk about love."

"I think you do." Feliks said as he flipped his blond hair, "I'm in your situation—kind of. You know Toris? We grew up together."

Roderich furrowed his brows. "I'm afraid I don't."

"He's one of the three guys tagging behind Ivan Braginsky." Roderich shivered as the image of the teen popped up into his mind, which was followed by three shivering teens he now remembered to be Toris, Edvaurd, and Ravis.

"Toris is totally dreamy—he actually listens to me instead of thinking that my gossip is worthless. Anyways, I'm totally in love with him but he's just head-over-heels for that scary woman Natalia. You were almost engaged to her, remember?"

Again, Roderich didn't ask how Feliks knew that. "Toris likes Natalia Arlovskaya?"

"I like him, he likes her. In your case…I think there's something going on, but I still haven't uncovered that yet." Feliks grinned, and Roderich just smiled back uncertainly. It was plain enough to see the problem was Gilbert...but Feliks didn't need to know that.

"I just figured you should totally know that not everybody is as happy and satisfied like our student president Arthur and his hottie-of-a-boyfriend Alfred. I bet they totally do it at least two times a day," Feliks added as he leaned in.

Roderich found himself blushing. "Isn't that too much?"

"Not for Arthur," Feliks grinned. "Anyways, in your case, he's out of the country for now, so what can you do about it?"

"I'm not going to do anything," Roderich sighed. He knew he was contradicting himself since he'd been trying to figure out where Gilbert was right now.

"But you _can,_" Feliks said with a snap of his fingers, "Because you totally have me."

Roderich felt his heart jump a beat at the offer, but he found himself unable to accept it. He didn't want to keep anymore secrets from Elizaveta. "No, thank you…"

Feliks' hooded green eyes frowned. "If you want to give up I totally accept that."

"I will find you when suitable," Roerich was muttering when the door suddenly opened and music blasted a slender looking brunette into the room. Judging from the way Feliks looked at him the brunette was probably Toris.

"Feliks?" Toris asked shakily, "Are you busy?"

"Totally not, just give me a second," Feliks replied with a smile that wasn't as bright as his usual.

"Oh, okay," Toris said as he closed the door and stood outside.

"...Is Braginsky here?" Rodedrich asked as he watched the throng of dancing teenagers on the floor. Ivan would be easy to find if he had come since he was tall for his age and there would be a clean circle around him due to his intimidating aura.

"No, Natalia is." Feliks huffed as he flipped his blond hair. "Toris probably came because Natalia couldn't get Ivan to come with her. Anyways, you should totally know that Francis actually wants to beat you up."

"He does?" Roderich asked, incredulous that his cousin would think that way.

"For personal reasons. You remember his first love, Joan?"

Roderich fell silent.

"I'll take that as a yes," Feliks said as he stood up and smoothed out his skirt, "Anyways, I totally hope you can untangle yourself from this mess earlier than me."

Roderich nodded in appreciation. At least Gilbert was somewhere far away and not in front of him. Feliks had Toris fawning over Natalia probably every second when they were together. The brunette left the room and made way for the balcony, where the horrid music was more distant.

"What are you doing here?" A sharp voice asked. Roderich turned around quickly, backing away when he saw Natalia standing there. She was wearing dark blue dress and combat boots. Her eyes sliced through Roderich.

"I'm getting away from the music," Roderich replied quietly, hoping that he didn't appear too afraid of her. Natalia narrowed her eyes and scoffed with scorn.

"Have you seen Toris?" Natalia asked. "The brown haired boy who is too stupid for his own good…" She muttered.

Roderich smiled wryly. "Yes, I have, he is talking to Feliks now."

"Good," Natalia said curtly. "Good. That boy is smart."

Silence fell between the two, but it was an oddly comfortable one. Roderich stood on the right side of the balcony while Natalia stood on the left, both looking down at the garden below the balcony.

"I wish Ivan was here." Natalia said all of the sudden. Roderich didn't know how to respond. "I'm glad you're engaged to Elizaveta Héderváry," She added while casting a glance at Roderich.

"…so am I," He replied. Natalia smirked.

"You lie. I can see you don't like that woman."

"How would you know?"

"I love my brother," Natalia replied simply.

_**But people call that obsession…**_ Roderich thought.

"I do not dislike you," Natalia began, catching Roderich by surprise. "On the contrary, I like you and do not wish to hurt you, and that is why I am glad you're engaged to her."

"Don't you feel sad?" Roderich blurted out suddenly, "That your brother…does not reciprocate your feelings."

Natalia's eyes narrowed and Roderich froze, only to relax when Natalia cast her gaze on the gardens again.

"I understand that my brother has yet to realize that no one will love him as much as I do, and that you people think that my love is a sick obsession." Roderich cringed, but Natalia continued on. "But I believe my love is purest, and that one day my brother shall come to his senses. All this pain I feel in my heart…will one day be replaced with happiness."

Roderich didn't know what to say.

"You, Roderich Edelstein…" Natalia said as she turned her dark blue eyes on the brunette, "you're just as obsessed as I am."

"Obsessed? May I ask why?"

"You are obsessed with someone, and that someone is not Elizaveta Héderváry. I can see that." At Natalia's words, Roderich touched his face. Was it obvious that he didn't like Elizaveta? He had been trying hard to pretend like he did.

"If I was someone normal, I would tell you to forget that person and move on." Natalia said gently, "But am I not. We are two of a kind, Edelstein, we are both longing for something we cannot have. We can only wait for it to come to us one day." She finished quietly. Roderich opened his mouth to reply but she turned away from him, signaling the end of their conversation. He watched as Natalia walked down the hall, her skirt swishing behind her and her combat boots clicking on the floor.

"Was that Natalia Arlovskaya?" Elizaveta's voice asked, and Roderich turned around. His fiancée stood behind him, her green eyes following Natalia until she disappeared around the corner of the hallway.

"Yes. We talked a bit. She is surprisingly kind." Roderich said with a smile. Elizaveta frowned and moved to stand beside him.

"Would you feel better if you are engaged to her?"

Roderich tried not to blink in surprise. He never once considered what it would be like to be engaged to Natalia. Sure, he might have gotten himself sent into the hospital, but he wondered if he would have been more comfortable around her. They both knew they were after something they could never get, and they would be comfortable in their actions around each other. To put it simply, they wouldn't force themselves to love each other.

"Roderich?" Elizaveta asked, and Roderich turned to look at her, feeling guilty when he saw the unease in her eyes.

"Of course I wouldn't be happier if I were engaged to her," He said in his most soothing voice. "You are my friend…my sister…"

Elizaveta turned her eyes downwards. "When will I be a lover to you?"

"I…don't know." Roderich said. "I know I'm being unfair, and that's I'm being selfish…" He walked over to Elizaveta until they were standing closer than they ever had. He held her hand with his left and touched her cheek with his right. Her green eyes were surprised by his rare show of intimacy, but they were quickly filled with another emotion: hope.

Roderich cringed mentally and cursed himself. He was being an ass-hole. Well, he was always an ass-hole to her, so he might as well be one through and through. Elizaveta closed her eyes and pursed her lips ever so slightly, and Roderich leaned in.

Elizaveta trembled as Roderich pressed their lips together in a light kiss. Roderich resisted the urge to shake his head. It was wrong. There still wasn't any feeling. But…maybe it was because the way they were kissing. He recalled the times when Gilbert kissed him. He would tilt his jaw upwards, grab a fistful of his hair and shove his tongue ruthlessly into his mouth, sweeping, licking, prodding, and sucking until Roderich's lips were raw and he begged for no more.

But that was Gilbert's way of kissing. Roderich had to be gentle. He took a step closer and pressed both their bodies together before he held the back of Elizaveta's head and tipped it upwards a bit, deepening the kiss. When he slid his tongue across Elizaveta's lips she shivered, her eyes opening momentarily in surprise. Roderich quickly prodded his way in, Elizaveta closed her eyes again. He kissed her like he kissed Gilbert—or he at least tried to.

When Elizaveta pulled away from him, Roderich was suppressing his self-loathing and disgust.

"That surprised me…" Elizaveta said shyly. Roderich smiled as his hands replaced a strand of hair that had gotten lose and hoped his hand wasn't shaking. Just as he was thinking about a way to get himself out of the situation his cell phone rang.

"Sorry…mind if I…?"

Elizaveta nodded and Roderich picked up his phone, walking to the other side of balcony. The caller was unknown, but Roderich would pick up any call to get away from Elizaveta right now.

"Hello?" The other side of the line was quiet, with only the sound of crackling. Roderich looked back at Elizaveta, who mouthed that she was going downstairs, and nodded. "Hello?" Roderich asked again when Elizaveta was out of ear shot. He was about to hang up when he heard a familiar rough voice over the phone.

"_...No New Year's Day…to celebrate…_

_No… chocolate covered candy hearts…to give away…"_

Roderich gripped his phone tightly as he felt his heart stop. Gilbert was singing to him over the phone. It was something he hadn't done before and it was too late. Roderich would have appreciated the song when they were still together, but right now it just filled him with anxiety, for Gilbert's voice was cracked as if he had been crying.

"Gilbert, where are you calling from?" Roderich asked, half worried and half furious. To think Gilbert actually had the nerve to call him, drunk-Roderich assumed, and sing a love song to him.

"_No first of spring…_

_No song to sing…_

_In fact…here's just… another ordinary day…"_

"Gilbert Beilschmidt! Just tell me where you are?" Roderich whispered harshly into his phone as he looked around. The hallway was clear and there was no one in the garden.

"_No April rain…_

_No flowers bloom…_

_No….wedding Saturday within the month of…June…" _Gilbert sang softly, laughing bitterly at the word 'wedding'.

"Gilbert, please! Talk to me!" Roderich pleaded, but the albino just chuckled sadly on the other end, and Roderich heard some the swishing of liquid in the background. Gilbert really was drunk, otherwise he would have never made the call.

"_But…what it is…is something…true…_

_Made up of these three words that… I must say to you…_

_I just called….to say…I love you," _Gilbert said rather than sang the three words, and Roderich felt his heart squeeze into a painful bunch while he blinked quickly. Gilbert had never told him he loved him outright. They only talked about 'like', not 'love'.

"You have bad timing," Roderich sighed into his phone as he tried not to let his tears fall. "If you did this earlier.." He shook his head. There was no use going back.

"_I just called…to say how much…I care…_

_I…just called…to say…I…love…you…"_ Gilbert choked,

"_And I mean it…from the bottom of my…heart…"_

"Gilbert, Gilbert! Answer me, please! Where are you? What are you—"

The phone went dead before Roderich could finish his sentence.

"Dammit!" The brunette said as he almost chucked his phone into the bushes. He sat down on the balcony floor and leaned against the railing. What was going on with Gilbert? Why did he call?

Roderich fought off his tears and hung his head. The call had shaken him up more than anything, and reminded him how Gilbert could affect him. It also reminded him how stupid he was to think he could accept Elizaveta. He tried to kiss her passionately, and that was a mistake. Roderich stood up and ran to the nearest men's washroom before splashing water on his face and rinsing his mouth thoroughly again. If Elizaveta knew she would never forgive him for this.

"Francis was wrong…I can't do this…" Roderich muttered to his reflection.

"What was I wrong about?"

Roderich whipped around and saw his cousin standing there, a wry smile on his face.

"I…I can't accept her." Roderich whispered. "I just can't. I feel disgusted when I touch her."

Francis frowned. "_Mon cher_, I have been patient with you, but I cannot hold my anger for long."

"So Feliks was right about you wanting to beating me up?" Roderich asked quietly. His cousin blinked for a second before a sad smile came to his face.

"Do you remember Joan?"

"Yes, I do." Roderich said gently. Joan was a girl Francis fell in love with at first sight when he was volunteering at the hospital. Strong, bright, and gentle, Joan was everything Francis wanted.

"She told me it was impossible for us to be together because she was dying, but I told her I loved her and wanted to be with her more than anything." Francis' blue eyes bore into Roderich's. "She accepted me."

Roderich tried not to remember how devastated Francis was when Joan died a week later on his birthday. It was horrible. He went out sleeping with anybody who asked, and he was only fifteen at the time. Roderich was afraid he might catch diseases and worried about him day and night. Feliciano and Lovino were scared by him and steered clear. However Antonio and Gilbert had stuck with Francis through his depression and brought him back to his normal self.

"Roderich, _mon cher_, even though we loved each other for seven days only, it felt much longer than that. Gilbert is still alive, Roderich, you can still grab at the chance to be with him. But no, you are running away into Elizaveta's arms, you are seeking comfort."

"Gilbert left for Europe without any explanation," Roderich said weakly. "Just now, he even called me and sang to me. Just how cruel can he be?"

"You are the one who is cruel, Roderich."

"Me?"

Francis sighed. "I saw you. I saw you kissing Elizaveta. How is that not cruel?"

Roderich stiffened. "I was trying."

"Trying to hurt her more than you already have?"

"Francis, please just drop this subject." Roderich said as he turned away from his cousin. "I'm tired about this." He didn't look back as he walked out of the washroom. Roderich had enough of himself moping over Gilbert and being affected by his voice. He had enough of his friends telling him that he was wrong even though he knew they were right. He had made his choice, and he was going to stick with it no matter what. Even if it meaning walking a path he didn't like. Who cares? Gilbert surely didn't.

* * *

[Two years later]

Roderich sat in the Edelstein hotel and was taking numerous deep breaths. He was nervous. Of course he would be. He was getting married. The brunette stood up from his seat and looked at himself in the mirror again.

Being the groom he supposed there was nothing much to talk about when it came to clothing. All he had to do was wear an expensive suit, slick back his hair, polish is glasses and shoes, and he was set. He tried to smile at the mirror but he felt like he was just stretching his muscles. It was hard to pretend he was joyful when he was dying on the inside.

A knock sounded on his door and he turned around, wondering who it was. "Come in."

Francis entered the room with a smile on his face, followed by Arthur, Alfred, Feliciano, Lovino, and Antonio.

"You look like you're ready," Arthur said with a sour tone, and Roderich just smiled.

"Arthur, you should be showering him with love, _love_!" Alfred said as he handed Roderich a huge box with a wink, "This is for you man, it's filled with love!"

"Thank you very much..." Roderich said, unsure how to react.

"Come on, open it!" Antonio beamed. Roderich looked away from him. He didn't understand why Antonio had come, but he didn't want to ask.

"It's alright, nothing will pop out of it." Francis said in an assuring tone.

"Please Roderich, please open it!" Feliciano said imploringly while Lovino just snorted.

Roderich opened the box and looked at the contents, immediately blushing and snapping the lid shut.

"What...do you all expect me to use those...those _things_?" Roderich asked as he gestured to the box.

Arthur smirked. "It's a gift that expresses our utmost joy to your marriage, you wouldn't leave our feelings under the bed to gather dust, would you?"

"Uh...Artie...I think he's supposed to putting it under the bed...where else would he put them?" Alfred said as he frowned in thought.

"The lube and condoms can go in the shelf besides the bed!" Feliciano offered, and Alfred smacked a fist on his palm.

"That's right dude! Then he could put the vibrators and dildos under the bed with the whips and cuffs and stuff!"

Roderich's face heated up. "Do I look like the person to use these things?"

"If you don't like those, it's alright,"Arthur said as he held up a yellow object, his green eyes soft as he stroked it a bit, "There is something Ludwig has given you." He raised up a yellow plushie that was shaped after a bird.

"Luddy said it's for you, and he's sorry that he can't come!" Feliciano piped up.

Roderich took the plushie from Arthur's hand and looked at it. It was handmade and wonderful. There were tiny words sewn into the back of the little bird.

"Think of me dearly, my love?" Roderich asked as he read off the words. "M.W..."

"Luddy said the words were already there when he bought it...and the initials might stand for the maker!" Feliciano explained.

Roderich hugged the plushie close. It was comfortable and heart warming.

"Thank Ludwig for me."

Francis glanced at the clock and clapped his hands, getting the attention of everyone in the room.

"Well, _messieurs, _I think we have a wedding to attend, shall we?"

* * *

Gilbert flopped onto the hotel bed, laughing as the day's events popped up in his were now in New Mexico after driving south from Canada. Matthew had been hit on multiple times by both men and women, and Gilbert managed to haggle a couple of free drinks in a bar. He and Matthew had come to know each other pretty well and were enjoying their time together.

In the back of his mind Gilbert dimly recalled Matthew making a plushie after Gilbird when they were in Canada. When he asked about it, Matthew just said he sent it off to someone who needed it.

"Gilbert," Matthew said as he entered the room, "There's something for you."

"What? How the hell would there be something for me? Nobody knows I'm here!" Gilbert exclaimed as he took the small package in his hand and shook it before opening it. It was CD with a note attached to it.

"What the...'I used some extensive means to find you. You have already lost your last chance...'this handwriting is Francis'!"

"Francis? How did he find you?"

"Dunno, it just says he used 'extensive means'." Gilbert muttered as he tossed the CD on the bed. He was reluctant to watch it because it gave him a bad feeling.

"You're not going to watch it?" Matthew asked as he picked the CD up and flipped it around.

"Nah. Blank CDs give me a bad feeling."

"It's not blank...it's marked with something—oh, oh..." Matthew gasped, and Gilbert turned to look at him.

"What?"

"It's about...him."

Gilbert felt his heart squeeze up in pain. Ever since that drunken phone call two years ago Gilbert never contacted _him_ again.

"I'm not going to look at it, and that's final." Gilbert said as he turned over on his bed.

"Whatever you say," Matthew said as he tucked up the CD in a safe spot.  
-

Later that night Gilbert was woke up by multiple stinging slaps to his face.

"Wake up Gilbert, wake up, goddammit!" Matthew sniffled angrily.

"What? What's wrong Mattie?" Gilbert slurred as he woke up. When his eyes rested on the Matthew's laptop, he was jolted awake. It was Roderich. Roderich, standing at the end of the aisle, waiting for Elizaveta.

"Shit," Gilbert moaned and he turned away from the laptop, "I am not going to watch this."

"Gilbert, you're such an ass-hole!" Matthew cried as he began pummeling the albino with a pillow. "Why don't you just go and die!"

Gilbert stared at his friend. Matthew had said those words a couple of times, but not once did he sound like he meant it—until now.

"Why did you leave him? Look at him, he looks pathetic!" Matthew said as he pointed at the screen. "He looks like he's dead-just look!" The blond whispered harshly as he grabbed Gilbert's head and pressed his face to the screen.

"Alright, alright, I'll look at it! I can't see like this!" Gilbert hissed as he pushed Matthew's hands away and forced himself to look at the screen.

For the first few seconds all Gilbert could see was Roderich standing at the end of the aisle waiting for Elizaveta. Nothing special in there. But after a few minutes, Gilbert began to notice the difference. Roderich's lips were smiling but his eyes weren't. He wasn't standing in his usual proud manner, but in a more resigned way. The way Roderich stood, the way he looked, everything was different. He wasn't happy at all.

In the video Roderich's eyes flickered to the camera and Gilbert could see the agony that clawed its way through those dead violet eyes. He squeezed his hands into fists as the pain in Roderich's eyes was replaced with a fake smile as Elizaveta walked down the aisle, her face radiant and shining.

"Shit..." Gilbert muttered as he fell back on the bed.

"You son of a bitch," Matthew said angrily as he blew his nose, "I would fucking kill you if you weren't such nice company."

Gilbert lay on the bed and covered his tearing eyes with one arm and biting his lip so his sobbing wouldn't be heard, but it was useless, because minutes later he was bawling his eyes out. He thought he was the one in hell, when Roderich was suffering torture. Matthew was right. He _was_ such an asshole.

Gilbert felt Matthew's gaze on him and soon felt a comforting arm around his shoulders. It wasn't the first time they shared this intimacy, and Gilbert was glad that Matthew had set his anger aside to comfort him. Twenty minutes later, Gilbert finally calmed down and flopped back down on the bed, bringing Matthew down with him.

The two lay side by side and turned to face each other.

"You're eyes are red," Matthew commented, and the two laughed.

"My eyes are always red," Gilbert said as he grinned.

"I think we both know what I meant."

"Yeah, sure."

Matthew propped his head up with his arm and looked at Gilbert. "Don't you think three years is enough?"

Gilbert smiled. "I guess it has been long enough."

"I could go back with you if you want, you know, for moral support." Matthew said.

"Yeah right, I bet you're going back with me so you can drop by Alfred's house. Speaking of Alfred, I'm still amazed that you're his half-brother."

"Alfred isn't important right now," Matthew said as his lavender eyes locked with Gilbert's crimson, "You should be thinking about heading back."

"I will," Gilbert said as a grin grew on his face, and Matthew sighed.

"I'm happy that you want to go back and I don't want to stop you , but he's married now, what could you possibly do?"

Gilbert sat up and looked at Roderich's face in the laptop. "I'm going to get him back."  
-

"Now when is the next plane?" Matthew asked as he threw his and Gilbert's suitcases onto the bed and began stuffing them with their belongings, "Four or five in the morning?"

"It's two A.M right now. If we get going we can catch the four A.M plane. The airport is just thirty minutes away, right?"

"Alright." Matthew said as he forced the suitcases shut, "Let's get going."

The pair checked out of the hotel and headed to their car. Gilbert jumped in the driver's seat and Matthew slid in beside him. The two look at each other before nodding, and Gilbert stepped on the gas pedal. The car-and old Ford Thunderbird that the two had managed to haggle at a good price-and sped off to the airport.

"What are you going to do when you get back?" Matthew asked as Gilbert passed through multiple red lights, "Are you just going to go up to him?"

"I don't know. I can't just go up to him, he hates my guts for sleeping with his fian—whoops," Gilbert said sullenly, "_wife_."

"Gilbert," Matthew said as the albino cut a few corners at some intersections, "I think you should drive slower. It takes thirty minutes max to get to the airport, at this rate we'll be there in five."

"The quicker the better." Gilbert replied, but he still eased up on the pedal and began pressing down on the brakes.

"You should call him." Matthew suggested as his lavender eyes watched the road ahead.

"I just don't know, I'll think about it when we get there." Gilbert said, and Matthew sighed.

"Gilbert, you should really think about—" Matthew's words were immediately drowned out by the screeching of tires as Gilbert pressed hard on the brakes and swerved to avoid a car that didn't have its headlights on and was crossing a red light. The car was driving too fast and just smashed into the right side of the Thunderbird. Gilbert's mind went black, and the last thing he heard was shattering glass that accompanied a strong stench of blood.

* * *

When Gilbert woke up in the hospital, he was covered with crusted blood that had soaked his shirt. He sat up quickly, only to fall back when his head rang with pain and his body screamed for him to lie down. Gilbert waited a few seconds before sitting up again. The sheets of the bed were stained a dark red, and the blood had probably seeped into the mattress. Gilbert looked at the floor, which was decorated with drops of blood. He ran a finger across the sheet and was horrified by the fact that blood was still dripping.

"Mattie!" Gilbert cried as he looked around the room. When he didn't see any sign of Matthew he ran out of the room, making the nurses scream when they saw him.

"You shouldn't be running out here!" One of the nurses yelled.

"Where's Mattie? Where is he? Is he alright?" Gilbert said frantically as he shook the nurse hard, as if he would rattle out an answer from her.

"You should go back to your room," The nurse said firmly as she dragged him back to the room with bloodied bed sheets. "Your friend will live."  
-

Gilbert didn't know how long had passed. He requested a shower, but the nurses ignored him. He watched the tiny TV set on the cabinet and hoped to see some news about the crash. But then again he hoped it wouldn't be on the news so Alfred and Arthur wouldn't see it if they chanced across the international news.

"Can I take a freaking shower?" Gilbert complained to the doctor who entered the room with a tired face.

"Your friend has suffered multiple wounds, but the most severe would be the severed muscle on his right leg. He will need proper rehabilitation when he recovers, but you should be reminded that he might not be able to walk properly again."

Gilbert froze. "Are you telling me that he's going to need a wheelchair?"

"He will not need a wheelchair, but he might walk with a slight limp from now on."

"Where is he?" Gilbert croaked. "Where is Mattie? Where did you put him?" By now Gilbert was yelling at the top of his lungs, and the doctor just shook his head and went out.

"He might need a sedative," Gilbert heard the doctor mutter to the nurse standing outside. Gilbert tried not to kick the bed and furniture in case the nurses did bring out the sedative. Instead, he bottled up his anger and flopped on the clean bed in the room and put his fist in his mouth to stop his sobbing.

It was his fault that Matthew was in the hospital. Hurting Roderich wasn't enough for him, was it? So he just had to go get Matthew involved in a stupid car accident that might have killed him. Gilbert raised his bloody hand and looked at it. The blood didn't belong to him, it belonged to Matthew. Even if he scrubbed himself raw, Gilbert was sure he would never be rid of the guilt that ripped him in half right now.  
-

Matthew woke up a few months later from his unconscious state. It took him another few months to speak normally without his voice cracking up or him doubling over with pain. The nurses were giving him way too much morphine that Gilbert thought they were turning him into a druggie.

"Why didn't you go back?" Matthew asked softly as he lay on his hospital bed.

"How could I leave you alone?" Gilbert said as he tried not to tear up. Matthew looked sickly. His blond hair had been shaved off to reveal the ugly wound that bruised his head, and his right leg was suspended. The rest of his body was battered, bruised, and covered with bandages.

"Did you tell Alfred and Arthur about the accident? Well, they'll be surprised that we know each other before they freak out about me."

"No. I figured you didn't want them to know."

"You should go back. How much time has passed?" Matthew asked hoarsely, and Gilbert shook his head.

"I'm staying. I can't go back now."

"But...Roderich-"

"Mattie, I'm not going to leave. Period."

"Are you sure? What if he falls in love with her?"

Gilbert stiffened at the thought, but when he looked at Matthew again, he decided. " Nah, that won't happen. I'm way too awesome for him to just throw me away- and I just can't leave you alone, not when it's my fault."

Matthew smiled. "You're too kind. You'll probably end up regretting this someday."

"Mattie, you stuck with me from the beginning and we've had one hell of an awesome time, there's no way I'm ditching you right now. Not now, not ever. You'll be stuck with me until the day you die." Gilbert said as he sat beside the bed.

"I would let you hold my hand so it would feel more bromantic, but I can't raise my hand right now." Matthew said with a small smile.

Gilbert grinned. "Find someone else to talk cheesy sappy lines to you. This is the only time I'm going to say something as disgusting as that."

* * *

**Poor Mattie... I feel bad for having him in a car accident...but what can I say? Something has to happen. **

**The song is "I just called to say I love you" by Stevie Wonder.**

**Reviews please and thank you!**


	7. Back in town

**Don't ask me why chapter seven is out already xD**

**I don't own Hetalia. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Mr. Edelstein, how do you feel about your upcoming performance tonight?"

"Are you nervous?"

"This is going to be your first show after returning from Vienna..."

"Mr. Edelstein, a word? Just a word, please!"

Roderich pushed his way through the throng of reporters that ambushed him out of nowhere. The recital was at six and the reporters were already here at eleven in the morning. It was annoying.

"No comments, thank you." Roderich said quickly as he walked towards the safe zone in the fastest pace he could without looking like he was running away. He immediately felt liberated when he reached the empty recital hall, which was off limits at the moment.

He breathed in relief when he found his way to the performance room and headed backstage. Ever since his debut six years ago the reporters were still after him like rabid dogs after food. He thought if he came early enough to practice he wouldn't have to meet those reporters, but he did. It was horrifying.  
-

Roderich walked backstage towards the curtains, the whole room thundering with his heartbeat. The stage lights were bright and piercing in the thick awaiting silence, forcing the brunette to take a deep breath behind the curtains before walking in a brisk, but elegant manner, to the sleek grand piano that stood in all its glory in the middle of the stage. _**Smile, smile, **_he thought to himself as he bowed to the empty row of red velvet seats, _**they're all here to see you.**_

The brunette sat down on the piano bench, his back straight and his hands poised above the ivory keys. He closed his eyes and took another deep breath, as he always did when he was nervous, and when he opened his eyes the violet irises were shining with a touch of confidence and then his fingers began waltzing on the piano keys, dancing and laughing and playing along to a light melody that poured forth, engaging the entire hall in a merry party.

It was a masquerade where men and women were wearing elegant masks and luxurious clothing. The hall was glittering from the lights of a brilliant crystal chandelier hanging above and reflected in the shining eyes of characters below. Women were hiding smiles behind their feathered fans whilst eyeing their men of interest and children were playing hide and seek among the throng of people, shrieking with laughter as they popped out behind ballooned skirts and from under tables of exquisite food. Figures in passionate red, merry yellow, summer green, calming blue and mysterious black bobbed around the dance floor whilst fashionable grey bowed in return.

Detached from the dancing couples, one lavender lady stood alone in the corner, her sleek brown hair piled atop her head, secured with bobby pins and dressed with ribbons. Her mask matched the color of her dress and was simple in design. Some men tried to catch her eye subtly by walking around her in circles, whilst some of them—the bolder ones— had approached her and were arguing on who should have the first dance. The lady was afraid, for the men were drunk and had begun yelling loudly, gesticulating wildly and were about to fight. Just when one man grabbed the lady by her arm, the door was thrown open with a loud bang. The hall quickly grew silent and murmurs of who the latecomer was spreading through the crowd like wildfire.

The lady stared at the door with her lovely eyes and caught the sight of a man clad in black from head to toe, accentuating his pale skin and silver hair that shone like the moon. The man threw his cloak to one side and marched towards the lady with his blood-red eyes burning into her, rooting her to the spot so she could not run away from such passion. The lady took a feeble step backwards and the man made a step forwards, and they performed such an awkward dance for a long time until the man finally swooped in and tangled his rough hand in her silky brown hair and pressed a hot, wonderful kiss to her trembling lips, making her shudder and swoon and unable to do nothing but stare into those eyes, those delirious red eyes—

Roderich stopped abruptly with his hands in the air and his breathing rough. This wasn't right at all. What was he doing? In the end, he _had_ made his choice. He married Elizaveta, despite the fact it took him a year to let her touch him and another year for him to be able to be intimate with her—which, in Roderich's definition, was holding hands, kissing cheeks, and occasionally sharing the bed when he had nightmares.

For the five years he was married to Elizaveta, Roderich never bothered to have the bed in the master's bedroom removed. He still slept in it, a small part of him still clinging to the delirious past that made him feel alive. The night they were married, Elizaveta took one glance at the bed before retreating, saying that she was going to sleep in the guest room. Roderich never asked her why.

"It sounds like you were going to have some nice sex there," A husky voice said from the never ending darkness in front of Roderich, snapping the brunette out of his thoughts. "Why'd you stop?"

Roderich drew in a sharp breath, his eyes refusing to look at the person who was alone in the same room as him. It couldn't be. It was impossible. He was hallucinating, he was just too stressed for the recital tonight—_ he_ couldn't be here, could he?

The silence was deafening, but blood rushed and roared in Roderich's ears as he felt the painful gaze on him, burning, awaiting for a reaction. Seconds ticked by, making it harder to breath. Roderich finally tore his eyes from the keyboard and turned to look at the man who had changed his life forever.

"Gilbert," Roderich managed feebly. "How on earth did you get in?"

"I know you're performing here tomorrow so I'd thought I'd drop by. You're still so sexy, you know that?" Gilbert said with a small laugh, but underneath his bravado Roderich sensed that he was nervous—no, that wasn't the right word—he was _scared_, scared that Roderich had forgotten him, forgotten their time together.

Roderich squeezed his eyes shut. At least the man had the decency to show up scared and frightful. If Gilbert had appeared as if nothing happened Roderich might have tried to hurl the piano at him and watch him as he gets crushed to death.

Gilbert had changed. He was taller and had a more somber aura around him. Roderich could see him in the darkness between the row of seats, his hands in his pockets and his eyes the color of dying embers that were still fighting to glow a fiery red.

"When did you come back?" Roderich asked as he tried not to look at the red orbs that glinted from the stage light but failing miserably.

"I just came back." Gilbert replied.

"I don't want to see you," The tired brunette managed after a long moment of silence. "Please don't bother to come to the recital tonight."

"Roddy—"

"Gilbert, just go." Roderich sighed as he pointed to the exit. Somewhere in his mind he remembered doing this a long time ago.

Gilbert didn't budge. "Can't we talk?" He asked, his voice trembling.

_**Don't soften up to him don't soften up to him…**_Roderich repeated in his mind while he answered an outright "No."

"….can you answer one question for me, just one?" Gilbert asked, the pleading tone in his voice surprising Roderich.

"What?" Roderich asked; his voice softer than the harsh tone he intended.

"Do you have the German Cross I gave you?"

After a pregnant pause, Roderich shook his head.

"There was never a German Cross, Gilbert." Roderich said slowly as he looked through his mind. "Besides, it's the most important thing you have; you wouldn't give it to me. Why would you ask me this?"

Gilbert let out a mirthless laugh at Roderich's reply before spinning around and walking towards the doors. "It's nothing."

The door closed with a soft thud and Roderich slumped onto the piano bench. After Gilbert had left years ago Roderich thought it would be nice to never see him again, but he realized those red eyes were still able to make his heart squeeze into a painful bunch of longing.

Gilbert was back in town and back in his life whether he liked it or not.

* * *

The performance ended spectacularly and the sound of applauding was enticing, but Roderich wanted to do nothing more than leave. He managed to shake himself free from the reporters and was walking down the hallway in a brisk pace when someone grabbed his arm roughly and pulled him into the men's washroom.

"What on earth—"

Roderich's exclamation was drowned by a passionate kiss that almost swept him off his feet and made him unable to do anything aside from stare at his invader, whose red eyes flashed with momentary guilt but made no attempt at slowing his movements down as he unbuttoned Roderich's shirt and ran a warm, calloused hand from his waist to his chest, making Roderich feel light-headed and dizzy and delirious at the same time—.but the brunette pushed Gilbert away and pulled his unbuttoned shirt together, regaining the bit of consciousness and conscience he still had.

"I told you not to come!" Roderich spat as he pushed his glasses back to their place and re-buttoned his shirt clumsily, his face blushing red with anger and lingering passion.

Gilbert just looked at him, his features contorted in pain.

"I can't let you go this time—I swear I can't—"

"Stop it! You were the one who went off 'touring' to Europe without telling me anything and you expect me to take you back just like this? I'm married, Gilbert, _married_!" Roderich almost screamed as he shoved his left hand into Gilbert's face, his bottled up emotions overflowing him and making him hysteric. "And don't say you forgot what happened eight years ago!"

"I haven't!" Gilbert yelled as he slammed a fist on one of the walls of the cubicles, "Look, it was a mistake, I made a mistake and it was wrong, okay? But Elizaveta, she—"

"Don't you dare bring up her name," Roderich hissed as he glared at Gilbert from across the room. "Don't you even dare to_ think_ about her— don't you remember what you did to her, to me? That _disgusting _deed, that horrible—"

Suddenly there was a sound of the toilet flushing and Roderich stiffened with fear, stopping his sentence and quickly fumbling with his shirt. He barely got it buttoned up when a blond man exited the cubicle.

"Francis!" Gilbert exclaimed in disbelief, his wary stance wavering when he recognized his best friend, and the Frenchman smiled wryly.

"Nice to see you, _mon ami_, I haven't seen you since Paris. So you decided to come back?" Francis asked, his blue eyes falling on Roderich before turning onto Gilbert.

"Francis, did you come to see my performance?" Roderich asked in a small voice before Gilbert could say anything, fully embarrassed that his cousin had witnessed such an unsightly scene.

"It was wonderful, my dear," Francis said with a sparkling wink at Roderich before turning back to Gilbert, his gaze hardening. "You should leave with me, now."

Gilbert opened his mouth to retort but Francis gave him a warning look. With one glance at Roderich Gilbert left the room, his red eyes down-turned and his fists clenched.

Roderich held his back straight until Gilbert left the room before squatting down and letting his tears fall. Seeing Gilbert was just too much for him to handle. Just Gilbert's voice alone had brought back so many memories, happy and unpleasant.

"Gilbert?" A soft voice asked. Roderich hurriedly wiped the tears from his face and stood up, looking around for the owner of the voice. The door to the washroom had opened, but there was no one standing there.

"Gilbert, are you in here?" The voice asked again, and Roderich gasped as he saw a blond man's reflection in the mirror.

"Who are you?" Roderich asked, and the blond man stared at him, his lavender eyes widening.

* * *

Gilbert left the washroom, unwillingly trudging behind Francis. He would have punched Francis' lights out for interrupting but he knew his best friend was trying to help. However, he would have to say sorry for ditching his travelling buddy Matthew, whom he dragged over to the concert hall right after they got off the plane.

"Why are you here?" Francis asked lightly as he led the way to the parking lot.

"It's about time I came back, don't you think?" Gilbert muttered.

"You could have come back a long time ago."

"Well...it just took me this long to get ready."

Francis stopped and turned around to face Gilbert, his blue eyes brimming with the sappy emotion Gilbert was afraid of.

"What?" He asked gruffly.

"Oh, _mon ami_," Francis said with a slight sniffle in his voice as he embraced Gilbert, "I missed you very, very, much."

Gilbert patted his best friend's back while trying to ignore the stares he got from people. "I missed you too, man. Life just isn't the same without you and Toni."

Francis led Gilbert to his car and Gilbert slipped into the passenger seat, wondering what Francis was up to now. They used to joke that Francis would be the best gigolo in the city while Antonio would probably be the best strip dancer.

"It's been two years since Paris," Francis said with a small smile as he started his car, "How have you been?"

"The usual," Gilbert said simply as he looked out at the blurred scenery, the hum of the engine filling the thick silence.

Francis gave him a sideways glance but didn't press him about Roderich, which was a good thing because Gilbert didn't really want to talk now. Seeing Roderich really shook him hard. He thought he was prepared, considering he had been prancing around Europe for eight years thinking about how to approach this particular screwed up episode of his life, thinking that staying away from Roderich was some sort of redemption for his stupid mistakes.

Gilbert had prided himself in being the most awesome being on the planet, that is, until he met Roderich. The man had swept him off his feet with one look and he found himself falling deeper and deeper, and it was too late when he realized what was happening—resulting in Elizaveta's win.

As he leaned back in his seat, he wondered what on earth happened to the German cross he sent to Roderich on his graduation day by mail. He thought it was cruel and insensitive to send such a graduation gift, but he hoped that the German Cross would help Roderich understand that he was important to Gilbert.

It turned out Roderich never got the Cross, but that didn't settle everything once and for all. And _that_ was the reason why Gilbert showed up again. To make amends and correct some…misconceptions, as Roderich might put it.

"Where are we going?" Gilbert asked a couple of minutes later, and Francis just gave him a smirk.

"We're going to your house, which has undergone slight modifications."

Gilbert raised an eyebrow. "…slight modifications?"

Francis nodded his head. "Feliciano has moved in there because Ludwig feels lonely living in there by himself, and you know how Feliciano hates the cold, so they re-modified the heating system and planted a couple of plants in the garden."

"Oookay…" Gilbert replied uncertainly. Somehow Francis was making it seem like his house had been sabotaged.

"By the way, it's Feliciano and Ludwig's ninth anniversary, and Antonio and Lovino's eighth anniversary—which is actually a week later—and they're celebrating together. They'll be delighted to see you."

"I'm happy for them, but I have a slight problem here."

Francis sighed. "Roderich is married, Gilbert. You lost your chance to win him back ever since you left."

"No, not Roddy…" Gilbert muttered. "I don't have my luggage."

Francis blinked with realization. "Oh, where is it?"

"It's with Mattie, or Matthew. You were supposed to meet him last time in Paris, but you two missed each other."

"_Mathieu?_" Francis said with interest as he rolled the name on his tongue. "What kind of person is he? Will he be alright on his own?"

"Don't think about getting in his pants," Gilbert said with a warning tone, "I've known him for eight years, and Mattie can be pretty evil."

Francis grinned. "I am interested. You should introduce me to him."

"Did I mention Mattie's heterosexual?"

"I will make him love me."

"No, wait, actually, Mattie's gay but you're not just his type, 'cause last time I checked he seemed to be flirting with this macho Cuban."

"Then I will make me his new type."

"…actually, Mattie's asexual."

"Then I will make him sexually active."

"Can you stop with your weird obsession on a guy you don't even know?"

"Can you stop trying to dissuade me from wooing this person I don't know?"

The two fell silent and Gilbert laughed. "Man, you're desperate."

"I'm adventurous."

"No, you're desperate."

"Gilbert, you're the one who's desperate."

The mood in the car instantly died down.

"…just shut up and drive, will you?" Gilbert said as he glared at his friend.

Francis bit his lower lip. "Alright, _mon ami_."

* * *

Roderich stared at the blond man, who had a little yellow bird nested in his hair and a small polar bear hugging his knees. Roderich stopped himself from gaping open at the little polar bear. Was it even legal to be carrying one around?

"Are you alright…Roderich?" The man asked hesitantly.

"How do you know my name?" Roderich asked as he eyed the two duffel bags the man slung across his both of his shoulders and the two suitcases he was dragging behind him. The polar bear raised a hand and the bird chirped.

"Umm…I'm Matthew, a friend of Gilbert's." Matthew said softly. "Are you okay? Did he do something stupid again?"

Roderich blushed. How much did Gilbert tell Matthew? Did he tell him everything?

"I'm fine," Roderich insisted. "Tell me more about you."

Matthew smiled apologetically as he gestured to his baggage. "I think we should talk along the way. Are you free?"  
-

"Mattie! It's been forever since last time!" Alfred screamed as he threw open the door with his ever-lasting vigor.

"Al," Matthew said with a breathless laugh. Roderich stood beside him, his eyes wide. He had known the address was familiar…but he hadn't expected the Alfred he knew to be Matthew's half-brother.

"Hey, Roderich!" Alfred cried as if some miracle had appeared before him, and he was promptly shoved away by Arthur after that sentence

"Roderich! We were waiting for Matthew and his friend, but I didn't think it was you!"

Roderich shook his head. "I'm not Matthew's friend…Gilbert is." Just saying the name felt terrifyingly painful yet delirious at the same time.

Arthur's smile dropped. "Gilbert? Gilbert Beilschmidt?"

Matthew nodded. "He's the one I'm always talking about. I thought you'd have figured out by now."

"Just come on in, everybody!" Alfred declared as he shoved his guests through the door, "Keep calm and open a can of coke!"

"Or a cup of tea," Arthur added with a sideways glare at his boyfriend, "Which one would you prefer?"

"Tea," Roderich and Matthew replied, leaving Alfred dumbstruck.

"Hey now, coke is way better than hot water and a bunch of leaves!"

"I'm sorry, Al," Matthew said, "I've been drinking beer and coke along the way so I need some tea instead."

Arthur shot Alfred a smug smile before heading off into the kitchen, the loud blond following him with complaint. Matthew seated himself opposite of Roderich and looked at him, his lavender eyes studying him discreetly. Roderich tried not to look back, letting his eyes wander around the house as he began thinking.

Ever since _that_ day, he dedicated himself to forgetting the past. There were many things he still didn't understand and didn't want to. When he looked back he wondered why Gilbert had ever appeared in his life, since he still married Elizaveta in the end like he was supposed to. It seemed like Gilbert was just a momentary distraction, something Roderich fascinated himself with before diving to the depths of hell and torture.

Despite their cold marriage, Roderich was grateful that he married Elizaveta. After their marriage Roderich had found a way to earn back all the fortune his parents had lost and no longer felt obliged to do anything his parents asked of him anymore, including having children. Five years into their marriage, and it was never once consummated. Elizaveta never asked but just smiled sadly and said that she understood, but Roderich wondered if she really did.

"Roderich?" Matthew asked gently, breaking the brunette out of his thoughts.

"Yes, Matthew?"

"Did you want to know how I met Gilbert?"

"…yes."

Matthew smiled. "I met him eight years ago, in Paris. I was living there temporarily while Gilbert had just arrived from Germany. He slept in a tree beside my apartment, sporting a black eye that came from his grandfather. I was woken up in the morning because he was trying to save this bird—" Matthew gestured to the little yellow fluff ball on his head, "—from the landlady's mean old cat, and the landlady gave him a good beating with her broom until I explained everything to her. By the way, this bird is called Gilbird."

The little bird chirped in response, and Roderich tried to smile at it. It seemed that Gilbert's naming sense had never improved.

"After I fed him and sent him on his way—he was going to the Eiffel tower—we met again a couple of times." Matthew continued. "We decided that it would be fun to travel together and that's what we did. Did you know Gilbert likes to sleep with people beside him? He dragged me into bed a couple of times. Sometimes he nuzzles my neck, and it really tickles."

Roderich stiffened and Matthew let out a soft "oh."

"I'm not his boyfriend or anything…" Matthew began with a wistful look, "We're really just friends…but if he's willing…"

"You…you want to date Gilbert?" Roderich asked slowly. The thought of it made him nauseous, but what position was he in to stop it?

"I'm sorry…I know you two had a past, but you're married now, and if he can forget you, it'd be wonderful for me."

"He…" _**He's still in love with me,**_ Roderich finished in his mind. He knew by the way Gilbert looked at him the albino was still in love with him, but he couldn't bring himself to say it out loud because he had to let it go.

"Roderich, do me a favor, will you?" Matthew said gently as he looked into Roderich's eyes, "Talk with Gilbert and sort things out—it's the only way the both of you can move on. I've been waiting for seven years."

Roderich's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Alfred and Arthur came back into the room with suspiciously red faces.

"Here's your tea," Arthur said as he set two tea cups on the table with a shaky hand.

"Are you alright, Arthur?" Matthew said with a small grin as he looked at his brother, who looked rather refreshed.

"Artie's as fit as a fiddle!" Alfred exclaimed as he gave Arthur a pat on the back.

"Shut up," Arthur said as he rubbed his waist, "You should give me a break sometimes."

"Oh, come _on_, Artie, it's not like you're that old!" Alfred laughed as he grabbed Arthur from behind and spun him around.

"Let go of me, you git!" Arthur screamed, and Matthew laughed.

Roderich gave a small smile. He had forgotten how comical the pair were and couldn't believe he didn't spend some more time at their house. He took a sip of the tea.

"The tea is wonderful, Arthur, thank you."

* * *

Gilbert was horrified that his awesome house had been redesigned into some cozy Italian pizzeria. He hadn't missed the smirk on Francis' face when the blond told him that there had been some "slight modifications," but Gilbert couldn't believe his _bruder_ let Feliciano completely redesign the house.

The house had changed from its cold cool and minimalistic demeanor to a happy cozy house that bustled with activity. The garden was bursting with various plants and flowers that were accompanied by gnomes, and the grey stone pathway to the door had been changed into warm-toned bricks. The exterior had been painted a creamy white and the steel black door was now replaced with smooth oak.

Feliciano had answered the door in a fluffy pink apron and squealed in delight, throwing his arms around Gilbert and jumping around.

"Luddy!" Feliciano screamed with joy, "Gilbert is finally back!"

Gilbert heard a crash from upstairs and in a flash his brother was in front of him, his blue eyes wide and a few strands of his gelled back hair dropping in front of his eyes.

"_Bruder, _when did you get back? Why didn't you call?"

Gilbert sighed. "I just came back."

"I thought you were never going to come back!" Feliciano said as he ushered Francis and Gilbert into the house. "You always write letters and sometimes phone, but I thought you were going to stay in Europe for good!"

"Why are you all so fucking loud?" A voice called from the living room—if it still was the living room—and Lovino came out into the hallway, a bottle of wine in hand. The Italian almost dropped it when he saw Gilbert.

"Antonio, get your ass out of the kitchen right now!" Lovino yelled, and Gilbert groaned.

"GIL!" The Spaniard screamed as he grabbed his friend in a bear hug, almost knocking the albino down. Gilbert grinned as he realized that Antonio had grown more muscle and still had a nice ass.

"I missed you so much!" Antonio cried as he pulled Gilbert into the living room, which was now decorated with warm colors and plushies lining the sofa, and pushed Gilbert down before sitting beside him.

"Toni, Franny, it's good to be together again," Gilbert said as he pulled both of his friends into another long hug. "What're you guys up to now?"

"Nothing much," Francis said with a secretive smile, "I'm just expanding my family's hotel business."

"He is," Antonio chirped, "He's building 'entertainment' hotels all over the place."

"Says someone who preys on little children," Francis said jokingly before he turned to Gilbert, "Antonio is a kindergarten teacher right now."

"Toni? A kindergarten teacher right now?" Gilbert asked incredulously.

"I love my job with all those little angels looking at me with their huge pretty eyes," Antonio sighed dreamily. "But Lovi doesn't really like them."

"I've told you, Lovino is just jealous that the kids can get kisses and hugs from you," Francis said.

"But Lovi gets a whole different treatment!" Antonio cried, and the three jumped when they heard an angry shout from the kitchen that was followed by Feliciano's laughing.

"Lovi!" Antonio cried as he bounced into the kitchen, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing! Nothing! Get back to your jerk of a friend!" Lovino shouted with a tone of embarrassment in his voice.

"Is he talking about me?" Gilbert asked uneasily.

"Well, considering how depressed Antonio was after you left, that's what Lovino calls you." Francis said with a light smile.

Antonio came bouncing back into the room with a large smile on his face.

"It seems like Feli was teasing Lovi a bit!"

"Why?" Francis asked, and Antonio's smile grew larger.

"Lovi said he's jealous of the kids because they always grab my butt!"

Gilbert and Francis laughed wholeheartedly, and Gilbert couldn't remember laughing like this in the past eight years, excluding the times he was drunk.

"I told you, _mon ami_," Francis said as he wiped a tear from his eye, "Lovino is jealous of the children."

"_Bruder_," Ludwig said as he entered the living room with a smile on his face, "Dinner is ready."

Gilbert smiled at his brother. He always felt guilty of leaving Ludwig alone that year. It was something he wished he could undo. Ludwig graduated as a top student in high school and university, and was now a a professor (hmm...probably something else as a profession but yeah)

"Lud, is my room still safe?" Gilbert asked as he stood up with his friends. "I miss my living room now." He added wistfully as he looked at the cozy living room.

"We lost faith that you would come home, so we decided to redecorate the house, sorry, _bruder. _Your room is still the same though."

"Good," Gilbert said as he glanced upstairs, "Good."  
-

"So, what did you do? Where did you go? Why did you leave?" Antonio piped up over his dinner after slurping an alarming amount of pasta.

"Slow down, Toni," Gilbert said as he sipped on some wine that Francis insisted he drink. "Which one should I answer first?"

"Why didn't you come back? Luddy and I feel lonely without you." Feliciano pouted.

"Our trio is not the same without you, _mon ami,_" Francis added.

Gilbert smiled. It did feel nice to be with his friends and family again. "Well," He began, "After I dropped I went to Germany to see gramps and he punched the lights out of me."

Ludwig nodded in approval. "I hope _opa_ beat some sense into you."

"Thanks to him I met Mattie, or Matthew, to you guys."

"Matthew?" Feliciano said with a tilt of his head. "Who's he?'

Gilbert laughed. "Mattie's been my travelling buddy in Europe—we've done a lot crazy shit together. After gramps gave me a black eye he threw me out of the house and I just headed to Paris, where he was staying, and slept in a tree beside his apartment."

"You slept in a tree?" Lovino asked as his disinterested expression turning into a curious one. "How did you not fall off?"

"It's 'cause I'm awesome like that," Gilbert said proudly before continuing his story. "Anyways, there was a nest of birds in the tree—they're like little yellow fluff balls and are pretty cute to have around—and they actually stole a chunk of bread from someone in the apartment for me. "

"They stole bread for you?" Antonio asked incredulously.

"But," Gilbert continued as his expression turned dark, "The landlady there has this fat old cat and it's been staring at the birds for a long time. The next morning when I woke up one of the chicks had fallen out of the nest and the cat tried to get it."

"Oh— how horrible!" Feliciano cried with his brown eyes full of terror.

"So naturally I helped the bird, but the landlady thought I was beating up her cat so she beat me up with her broom. That's when Matthew opened his window and stared talking to her in French. After a while the lady stopped beating me and just glared at me before she picked up her cat and left."

"What happened to the bird?" Lovino asked, despite his efforts of looking uninterested in the fate of the cute yellow fluff ball,

"It hopped on my head and stayed there since."

"But it's not here, is it?" Francis asked with a smirk, and Gilbert sent him a glare.

"After we arrived Gilbird seems to agree with Mattie that I should just talk to…Roddy, so it's been staying on Mattie's head ever since. Traitor," Gilbert added in spite of his pet.

"Gilbird? What kind of name is that?" Antonio asked before he began laughing, the others in the table joining in.

"Gilbert's bird, Gilbird!" Gilbert said with irritation. "You know, you guys just don't have an awesome naming sense, that's why you can't appreciate this awesome name."

"It's a unique name which I'm sure other pets don't have," Ludwig said as smoothly as he could before a smile broke out on his face.

Gilbert pouted. "I wish Mattie was here. He'd appreciate the name."

"Where is Matthew?"Feliciano asked, "Why isn't he here with you?"

Gilbert fell silent and Francis smiled before anyone noticed something was off. "They got separated and Gilbert met me. At least they can still text each other, that's what technology's for, right?"

As if right on cue Gilbert's phone indicated he had a message. Gilbert opened it and his mouth dropped open.

"The devil…" He muttered under his breath as he reread the message:

"_Dear Gilbert, I'm currently at my brother's house with your luggage and boyfriend. I've given him a bit of rivalry (a.k.a me, aren't I nice?) to spice things up for you and I hope he gets the message and stops running away from you. You told me your brother lives nearby and apparently he's just at the end of the block. Are you there? I'm going to find you tomorrow and get all lovey dovey with you so your boyfriend can be jealous all he wants. You owe me some pancakes for this. Well, not some, but more like ten year's worth. Be prepared to love me with all your might! ;p_

"I'm dead," Gilbert announced before he trudged upstairs to his room.

"Gilbert? Are you not hungry anymore?" Feliciano called. His question was answered by a scream of horror and a string of German cursing.

"Oh," Feliciano said with a sideways glance at Ludwig. "Did we forget some stuff in there?"

Ludwig shrugged. "I don't think a couple of vibrators are enough to scare him."

Feliciano tilted his head. "I think I left the gag and the handcuffs and the whips in there."

"No," Ludwig said, "I don't think it's those."

Feliciano and Ludwig looked at each other before looking at Antonio and Lovino.

"Don't look at me." Lovino said with a grunt. "I wouldn't go into some potato head's room even if Antonio wants me to."

Antonio smiled. "I don't know either."

Francis grinned. "It might be a certain photo shot."

Gilbert's voice screeched from upstairs. "Who the hell left lube dripping all over the floor?! And what's with Toni's butt-shot hanging on the wall?"

The table burst into laughter.

* * *

Roderich left Alfred's house in a daze. There was something painfully squeezing against his chest, and it had been starting since Matthew confessed his feelings for Gilbert. The brunette was now confused as to what he should do.

Eight years was a long, long, time, and Roderich thought he'd forgotten everything by now, but there were some things that the brunette couldn't forget, one being the house in the maze. It was a wonderful and terrifying place at the same time, but he couldn't forget it. He took a deep breath before he pushed past the doors and walked into the empty house, heading towards the piano room.

Soft moonlight shone in from the French windows and the illuminated the piano, which had retained its luster over the years. Roderich sat down in front of the piano. He had played many pianos before, but it was always the sound of this particular piano that made his heart wrench up at its beauty.

The brunette opened the fall board and stared at the ivory keys. The melody of Clair de Lune entered his mind, but when his fingers touched the keys he found himself playing the Moonlight Sonata. The more he played the more he began to remember.

Roderich had heard Gilbert play Clair de Lune in this room. He shared his second kiss—more like their first real kiss— with Gilbert in this room. He met Gilbert in this room three days a week like it was his mission, and he carried out his "firsts" plan with him. They did all sorts of things together in this room, and Roderich couldn't—wouldn't—forget. The way Gilbert's silver hair that glinted in the moonlight, the way his eyes were always burning bright with ruby red or smiling with mellow autumn, and his warm, slightly calloused hands that would caress Roderich's body and make him feel like he would burst into flames because it was just too much for him—everything, was just so overwhelming and unforgettable— after all, it was a part of him, and he wouldn't be himself without it.

Roderich finished the sonata and sat there, drinking in the silence, feeling small and insignificant rather than the famous pianist he was.

* * *

Gilbert had Feliciano and Lovino clean the lube off the floor and made Antonio remove his butt-shot from the wall. He made Ludwig clean up all the toys and pick up the condoms. After that, he made Francis buy air freshener, new bed sheets, and a new mattress for him and successfully haggled so he could pay half price instead of full. He was rolling on his new bed when he received a call from Matthew.

"_Hello Gilbert,"_ Matthew greeted cheerfully, _"Where are you, are you at your brother's house yet?"_

"What the hell did you do?" Gilbert blurted, and Matthew laughed.

"_I just helped you a bit, that's all."_

"How the hell am I supposed to act lovey dovey with you?" The albino blurted again.

"_You're not," _Matthew said, _"I was just joking—but you still owe me ten year's worth of pancakes."_ He added seriously.

"Pfft. You know you make the best pancakes, Mattie." Gilbert chuckled before he turned around and spotted his brother looking at him through the crack of the door. He stuck his tongue out before waving Ludwig away.

"_I know, so I'm going to train you until you make a hundred percent Mattie pancakes."_

"That alone will take ten years."

"_Then that's how long we'll continue being friends."_

Gilbert couldn't help but feel touched by Matthew's words. "Thanks Mattie, you really helped me a lot."

"_Gilbert…why don't you tell Roderich what happened?" _Matthew said softly after a few seconds of silence.

"No point in telling him unless he really wants to listen." Gilbert muttered.

"_But I think you should tell him what the Elizaveta girl really is like."_

"They're married already. Haven't you seen the ring on his finger? It's no use anymore. He can't divorce her with a snap of his fingers you know. He won't take me back anyways because I goddamn slept with the woman."

"_You slept with her because she misled you and you believe her."_

"If my brain was fucking bigger than a bird's I wouldn't have."

A tiny bird chirp sounded from the other end of the phone and Gilbert sighed.

"Sorry Gilbird, I didn't mean that."

"_Gilbird is intelligent for a bird,"_ Matthew said with a laugh before he continued seriously. _"Gilbert, I still think you should explain everything to Roderich. He's still stuck in the past, you know? And I bet he still hasn't gotten rid of the bed you two slept on together."_ He added, making Gilbert smile a little.

"How do you know though?"

"_It's obvious to me—and you know; if there's one way you want to make it up, show some submission. Why don't you let him top you?"_

Gilbert choked on his own saliva. "What the hell!" This time it was Feliciano who looked at him through the crack of the door, his brown button eyes full of curiosity. Gilbert waved him away and he skipped off.

"_I bet he hasn't topped anyone before." _Matthew said with confidence._ "You told me that you guys were going to do every 'first' he has, so why not?"_

"Roddy has a fucking wife!" Gilbert exclaimed.

"What about the wedding night thing? The whole 'consummation of marriage' deal?"

Matthew laughed lightly. _"I've seen enough people to know that he hasn't done anything to his wife; besides,"_ the blond added seriously, _"You two are still so much in love—it's impossible for him to hold another person."_

"What makes you think that we're still in love?" Gilbert muttered.

"_You obviously still care for him, and he obviously cares about you too. He was getting visibly jealous over me when I told him I like you. Besides, his ringtone is 'Salut d'Amour'!"_

"What…'Salut d'Amour?' Are you saying he still... likes me?" Gilbert asked incredulously, "He was treating me like shit! He didn't want to talk to me!"

"_Define 'shit'. Gilbert, if Roderich hated you he'd be treating you like nothing—like people treat me."_

Gilbert felt bad that Matthew was using his own experience to make him feel better. "Mattie, people don't ignore you and they don't treat you like nothing."

"_Do you remember when we met again at the Eiffel tower? Most people would have forgotten me by next day, but you still remembered me after a couple of months. I was happy that you recognized me, that's why I want this to work for you,"_ Matthew continued as if Gilbert hadn't spoken at all, _"People have been ignoring me, and that's why I can see what they're really like."_

"Mattie—"

"_Gilbert," _Matthew interrupted, _"When have I ever been wrong? You trusted me before, why can't you trust me this time?"_

"I can't, I just can't, I'm sorry, Mattie." Gilbert mumbled.

"_Gilbert—"_

"Good night." Gilbert said quickly before he ended the call. The blond was always right when it came to people, but this time, Gilbert couldn't bring himself to trust him—because he couldn't trust himself.

* * *

The next morning Gilbert woke up to the smell of pancakes. He threw off the covers and raced downstairs, surprised when he saw Matthew in the kitchen, and more surprised when he saw Antonio, Lovino, Feliciano, Ludwig and Francis sitting at the table. Except Ludwig, none of the others were early birds at all.

Feliciano was fawning over Gilbird and Kumajiro, trying to convince Lovino to say they were cute. Francis and Antonio were asking Matthew questions, and Ludwig was drinking his black coffee.

"Mattie! When did you get here?"

Matthew smiled. "Your brother let me in," He said as he set a platter of pancakes in front of Ludwig, who nodded his thanks.

"What did you do to let my _bruder_ let you use the kitchen?" Gilbert said in wonder. Ludwig never let people he wasn't comfortable with use his kitchen, let along strangers.

"I brought your luggage in and told him a bit about our adventures." Matthew said with a smile as he gestured at the luggage sitting in the corner of the room.

"Yeah," Antonio snickered, "Like the time you ran into the women's washroom at the swimming pool in Canada,"

"The time you tried to scale the Eiffel Tower," Francis said with a sigh,

"The time you wrestled a shark in America," Feliciano said excitedly,

"The time you two played as lovers so Matthew could eat the Valentine's Day couple limited all-you-can-eat desserts in Japan," Lovino added,

"And the time you took Matthew to see _opa _and he insisted you on taking him as a wife." Ludwig added, and Gilbert's face heated up at the memory of his grandfather shouting to his neighbors that his grandson had finally found a nice woman to marry and finally realized his mistake when he found his glasses.

Gilbert looked at Matthew with a face of complaint.

"What?" Matthew said with a smile as he sat down beside Feliciano, "Your friends and family are fun to be with, and I don't see why I shouldn't tell them about our adventures. Here, Felicino, do you want to see the picture where I cross-dressed to get into that cake shop?"

"Ooh, you look so pretty!" Feliciano squealed as he grabbed Matthew's phone and showed it to Lovino and the others.

Gilbert smirked at their reactions. Matthew put all ladies to shame that day with his ultra adorable lavender eyes and cute pout. In the photo Matthew was wearing a wig and parted it in pigtails, tying the hair with red ribbons and parting his bangs with red hair clips. He wore a loose red sweater that had a band of white near the hem and a row of maple leafs decorating it, a white blouse, and a blue skirt that revealed his long slender legs. That day Gilbert wondered if Matthew was actually a girl. Matthew proved himself by going to the hot springs with Gilbert the same day.

"Wow, Gil, you're so lucky to go out with such a hot girl!" Antonio exclaimed, earning himself a glare from Lovino.

"That's a fucking guy, Antonio."

"Oh, Lovi, it's not like I'm hoping I can date Matthew," Antonio said hurriedly as he sidled over to his boyfriend and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"Fuck off," Lovino huffed, and Matthew smiled apologetically.

Gilbert looked at Francis, who just smiled. Across from him, Matthew's eyes blinked rapidly before looking confused, and then a small laugh escaped his lips.

"Whoever has his leg running up and down my calf; those are some really long legs."

Everyone looked at one another.

"Definitely not me," Antonio said with a smile.

"Nobody's going to admit running his leg up and down my calf?"Matthew smiled as his lavender eyes fixed on Francis. "Too bad I like my men with their legs long."

"Mattie, I remember the last guy—" Gilbert began, but stopped when he felt Matthew kick his leg under the table.

"Ah, _mon cher_," Francis said as he leaned towards Matthew, his blue eyes sparkling, "What would you do if I have long legs?"

"I would like to massage them, from toe to thigh." Matthew replied lightly as he took out his own bottle of maple syrup and poured it onto his pancakes. Gilbert could see the spark in Francis' eyes—the predatory look he had when he was out scouting for bed-mates—and sighed. Matthew was bottling his maple syrup when the doorbell rang.

"Ah, it must be Arthur and Alfred," Matthew said as he looked at Gilbert.

"Arthur and Alfred?" Feliciano asked.

"It's a small world," Matthew explained. "Alfred F. Jones is my half-brother, and of course, Arthur Kirkland comes with him."

"Go answer the door, _bruder_," Ludwig said, and Gilbert grunted as he dragged himself from his chair to the doorway.

"MATTIE! Why'd you leave in the morning without waking me up! I know Artie and I went a little too late last night but it doesn't mean you had to leave a note saying 'I'm bothering you so I should leave'—oh, it's you!" Alfred said as he stopped from his loud rant as he looked at Gilbert in surprise, his blue eyes wide and unblinking.

"I believe if you looked with your eyes you would see that it's not Matthew who answered the door,"Arthur said as he rolled his eyes. "Honestly, are your glasses just for show?"

"Hey, Arthur, Alfred, you guys are still dating?" Gilbert said nervously.

"Gilbert, how nice to see you here," Arthur said as his emerald eyes sliced through the albino, "when did you come back?"

"Yesterday," Gilbert muttered as he backed away to let the pair inside.

"Mattie!" Alfred cried again as he rushed blindly into the kitchen. It reminded Gilbert of the first time Alfred dropped by with Roderich and Arthur for a drink.

"Al, I'm over here," Matthew said as he waved his fork in the air.

"Why'd you leave?" Alfred whined as he dragged a chair over and snuggled against his brother, "It's been a long time since I've seen you and you just left without breakfast…"

"Well, you obviously didn't like the fact that I made Arthur moan," Matthew said with a smile as he patted his brother's head, "So I thought I'd have to drop by at Gilbert's."

"I've already told the git that it wasn't what he thought it was," Arthur muttered, "But he still thinks its incest."

"But you were moaning with your 'I'm-having-and-orgasm' moan!"

"Shut up!" Arthur shouted as Francis and Antonio exchanged looks, "Matthew was just giving me a massage!"

"Alfred, I'm sure you're the only one that can ever satisfy Arthur." Matthew replied, "Arthur and I would never get anywhere as far as having some 'girl-talk'."

"Just stop being a bloody wanker!" Arthur spat, and the whole table laughed. Gilbert felt more relaxed than he had been since high school and it made him wonder why he didn't come home earlier—until Roderich popped back up into his mind.

Roderich; who used to blush gently and smile at his touches and let out a soft moan whenever Gilbert kissed the nape of his neck and slid a hand down his thigh. Roderich; who's face would light up when Gilbert played the piano for him. Roderich; who was now married to Elizaveta and had become the renowned pianist he dreamed to be.

Gilbert's phone rang and he picked it up.

"Hello?" Gilbert asked as he left the noisy table and headed to the living room. He could hear uneven breathing on the other end of the phone and was beginning to wonder if some crazy pervert was calling him when he heard Roderich's voice.

"_Gilbert?" _And that took the breath out of him.

"Roddy?" He whispered incredulously. "How did you—I mean—"

"_Your…friend, Matthew, gave it to me."_

"Mattie?"

"…_I've decided to listen to you, so come over to my apartment."_

"You're not living…?" Gilbert asked without finishing his question. Roderich knew what he was talking about anyways.

"_No, not really, Elizaveta is in France right now and the apartment I bought is more ideal for me, so I'm not staying there. Gilbert, just come. I'll be waiting tomorrow night at eight."_

Gilbert's heart soared at his chance. "I'll be there," he said, and as soon as he said it Roderich ended the call. The brunette sounded like he was choking, which Gilbert assumed to be a good sign that showed he still had some effect on Roderich.

His phone signaled that he had a new message. Roderich had sent him the address to the apartment. Gilbert exhaled and looked at the sun that was partially hidden behind the clouds. He had made a promise to himself that he wouldn't let Roderich fall into the clutches of Elizaveta, but he ended up running away like the coward that he was. This time he was going to man up and set things straight.

* * *

**Thanks to everyone who read up to this point!**

**I'm going to America for the next two days, but I think I'm might start chapter eight during that time. **

**Reviews please :)**


	8. Confrontation

**Chapter eight is here!**

**I don't own Hetalia! Enjoy!**

* * *

Roderich was at his apartment at three in the afternoon after having forced his schedule clear for the rest of the day. It was ridiculous that he was feeling nervous when Gilbert was supposed to be the one who had his panties in a bunch— okay, maybe boxers, whatever— he was supposed to be feeling calm, cool, and composed, not pacing around the room and glancing at the clock every twenty seconds like he was waiting for his wife to give birth. Roderich stopped. That was just wrong. He'd never be waiting for Elizaveta to give birth to a child unless it wasn't his. Okay, that sounded wrong too, considering they were now married. The brunette shook his head and fell into a sofa chair. His mind was spiraling out of control and he needed some rest.

The brunette sat there, his fingers tapping against the hand rest. It was impossible to relax. The meeting with Gilbert shook him up, but not quite as much as he thought it would be. It was suffocating, but not all out horrifying, though it made him realize with irritation that he longed for Gilbert all the same. When Gilbert's red eyes looked at him, they just set him aflame with burning passion and desire. Roderich could feel the longing coil tightly within him as he ached for those hands to run over his body and those lips to kiss him until he couldn't breathe. But his longing wasn't just sexual. Roderich longed for Gilbert's smile, his gentle touch; the way his eyes danced when he was laughing...Roderich shook his head vigorously.

It was time to think of something else.

Roderich considered Matthew, Gilbert's friend—Roderich was using this term loosely— a threat, which didn't make sense at all because he was supposed to hate Gilbert's guts and he wasn't supposed to care if Matthew was a friend or a boyfriend or whatever. He was supposed to be happy with Elizaveta, for god's sake— what happened to 'being happy is the best revenge you can extract on an ex'?

Roderich stood up and got a bottle of wine. He needed some—he was too nervous. If he was a smoker he'd have a dozen of cigarettes in an ashtray right now and would probably die twenty years earlier than he should. With a shaking hand he poured himself a glass of wine.

_**I'm paranoid. Is that even the right word for this? I don't know. What should I do? Gilbert's coming. I called him. My ringtone is 'Salut d'Amour'. Does he know this? No, I don't think so. But maybe **__**Matthew**__** told him. Why am I thinking about my ringtone? Wait. What time is it? Is it eight? Who am I kidding? The sun hasn't set yet. Does the sun even set at eight? Earlier? Or later? What time is it? **_Roderich was about to shoot himself mentally. He glanced at the clock. _**Oh. It's only four. I have four more hours left. **_He poured himself another glass of wine.

_**Is the room neat? Maybe that flower vase is a little to the left. Wait, is that a red rose? Why do I have a red rose in my flower vase? My flower vase has a red rose! Am I out of my mind? Does the floral shop have a flower that means 'I hate you very much I just asked you over here to get some questions answered because I've been thinking about them for eight years and can't get them out of my mind'? **_**Am I out of my mind?**_** Calm down Roderich, calm down…oh, I knew I shouldn't have called him. **_The brunette fidgeted with his third glass.

_**Oh, Roderich, keep this up and you're going to be drunk before the man gets here! No, wait, would it be better to be drunk? Of course not! What the bloody hell? Oh, I just sounded like Arthur. I have too much of him in my system. Ugh. That sounds weird. I only see him like...once a year during reunions! Did I even go to the last one? I don't know… **_

By the time the clock struck eight Roderich was pretty much drunk and had defeated the purpose of calling Gilbert over. He rubbed his temple and staggered over to the intercom when it buzzed.

"Hello?" Roderich said as clearly as he could.

"_Uh…Roderich? It's me…Gilbert."_

"Oh. Well come on in! I live on the top floor." Roderich replied as he let Gilbert in. He didn't sound _too_ drunk, did he? He walked to the bathroom and rinsed a towel with cold water before heading back to the living room and flopping on the sofa, setting his feet on the table and covering his eyes with the towel.

At any rate Gilbert had come, and it was time to get some questions answered—that is, if Roderich was still sensible enough to know what he was doing.

* * *

Gilbert entered the apartment after Roderich buzzed him in. As expected, it was way out of his league. The lobby looked like it came out of a five-star hotel and everything was just overwhemingly...rich. A couple of the residents cast him weird looks, as he obviously didn't fit in. Gilbert glared at them and they shuffled away hurriedly. When he stepped in the elevator the residents in it scurried out.

"Rich people," Gilbert muttered as he hit the top button.

"Do you live on the top floor?"

"Huh?" Gilbert looked around and realized there was a lady in the elevator with him. Her hair was blond and tied princess-style, and her blue eyes were smiling. She was wearing a white and blue ball gown that flared out from her waist and ballooned outwards into a perfect circle. Gilbert wondered why he missed her when he entered the elevator.

"I'm sorry to ask you that out of the blue," the lady smiled apologetically. "I'm Maria, or Maria Theresa, because there are too many Maria's around—oh, I'm sorry about the gown—it's squishing you all the way to the corner, isn't it?"

Gilbert shook his head. "Nah, I'm fine. It looks good by the way."

"Thank you, I just came back from a Victorian-era-styled party."

Gilbert noticed she hadn't pressed a floor number after he did. "Which floor do you live on?" He asked as he gestured to the buttons.

"I live on the top floor; do you?"

"No, I'm visiting."

"I see," Maria said with a smile. "We rarely have visitors at the top floor. May I ask who you're visiting?"

"…Roderich, Roderich Edelstein."

"Oh, you're visiting Roderich?" Maria exclaimed, and Gilbert blinked in confusion.

"Do you know him?"

"Oh, yes, I'm a soprano, you see, and sometimes I work with Roderich. He is a very talented young man." Maria nodded her head with enthusiasm. "It's nice to see someone visiting him for a change. He's always cooped up in his room playing the piano."

The elevator door opened and Maria stepped, pointing to the left for Gilbert to see. "Roderich lives at the end of the hall—it's quite the walk, isn't it?"

"Thanks," Gilbert said, and Maria turned to the right and disappeared into one of the rooms. Gilbert headed down the hall to Roderich's room and wondered what was going to happen. Would Roderich yell at him? Or would he just talk to him civilly?

Gilbert pressed the doorbell and waited. When no one came to answer the door, he pushed against the handle and realized that the door wasn't locked. He walked in nervously and looked around. The lights were out except for the one in the living room. The albino walked forward and found Roderich leaning back in a sofa chair with a wet towel over his eyes.

"Gilbert?" Roderich asked in a quiet voice. The albino eyed the half empty wine bottle on the table and the glass that was a quarter full. Great, so Roderich had been drinking. Were they ever going to talk things out properly like this?

"Yeah, it's me."

"Oh. Good." Gilbert raised an eyebrow at the response.

"You've been drinking."

"Yes, I have."

"Why?"

"…because I called you and I was out of my wits."

"Does that mean you don't want to talk to me?"

"Aren't I talking to you right now?"

"Oh. Right," Gilbert muttered.

"Are you still standing?" Roderich asked after an awkward second, "Just have a seat."

Gilbert sat down tentatively on the couch and studied Roderich's apartment. The design reminded Gilbert of his house before it was renovated. Everything was minimalistic. The walls were white, the couch he was sitting on was white with plastic coverings, and the table Roderich was propping his feet on was also white. The only color in the apartment was the pine flooring and Roderich's violet sofa chair.

"You said you wanted to listen to my reasons. Can you still do that?" Gilbert asked, as he doubted Roderich's alcohol infused mind would remember the important bits next morning.

"I am listening," Roderich said absent-mindedly as he drummed his fingers on the hand rest. "Tell me…why did you leave?"

"I left because I had to," Gilbert grunted. "You wouldn't like it if I told you why though."

Roderich shifted his feet. "Is there anything unpleasant that I haven't heard?"

Gilbert sighed. The brunette did make a point. "It's Elizaveta."

"Why are we talking about Elizaveta?"

"She's the reason why I left."

Roderich stopped drumming his fingers "Why would you leave because of her? Did you really—"

"I slept with her," Gilbert interrupted, not missing the small cringe Roderich did when the word 'slept' came out of his mouth, "But I didn't assault her."

"…she was willing?" Roderich asked quietly as he tapped his finger.

"…would you believe me if I said that?"

"No."

Gilbert deflated instantly, and Roderich seemed to sense that.

"Gilbert, when was the last time you had sex?" Roderich asked, and Gilbert gaped at him. If Roderich was trying to change the topic, it was a weird topic.

"I think we just talked about that."

There was a long silence. "You didn't sleep with anyone else after that? Like Matthew?"

"Argh, that's disturbing! Why the hell would I sleep with my friend?"Gilbert said, blinking in surprise when he noticed Roderich relax.

"What does it feel like?" Roderich asked after a moment, "To do it with a woman?"

"_Mein gott,_ are you really asking me this?" Gilbert sighed as he poured a glass of wine for himself. Now he understood why Roderich drank so much wine prior to their meeting. If he didn't get alcohol in his system soon he would go crazy.

"I never did it with a woman…" Roderich murmured almost thoughtfully. Gilbert was beginning to feel nervous. In the past when Roderich was drunk he would act as if he were sober until something triggered his drunken state where he would start being mind blowing sexy. Gilbert never knew what would flip the switch, but he could feel it coming.

"Tell me…does it feel better than doing it with a man?" Roderich said as he reached up and removed the towel from his eyes, which were now glistening. Gilbert gulped and moved away from the advancing Roderich.

"You know what, I'm going to come back when you're sober." Gilbert said as he made a run for the door. If it were eight years earlier he would be sucking Roderich's face off already, but right now, he felt that he should get away, lest Roderich go berserk on him if they actually did _it_.

"You're leaving already? Why don't you stay?" Roderich asked, and Gilbert froze mid-run. When Roderich sounded like that it was just impossible to leave.

_**He's drunk he's drunk he's drunk…**_Gilbert thought to himself as his heartbeat began speeding up rapidly. _**Gilbert, if you're a man, you should pounce on him—no, that's not it…I should get out of this apartment—**_

Roderich raised a hand and beckoned Gilbert forward. The albino's feet moved on his own accord towards the smiling brunette. He was sure he was going to get a thorough beating from Roderich tomorrow.

* * *

Roderich snapped awake as his dreams morphed into yesterday night's memories. Gilbert hadn't touched him, but Roderich had made himself look like a fool by performing all those embarrassing acts to Gilbert when he was supposed to be looking for answers. The brunette threw on some clothes as quickly and quietly as he could and ran out of the apartment, walking carefully and slowly when he passed Gilbert, who was asleep on the sofa. Maybe a walk around the park would help him calm down.

"Roderich?" A familiar voice called out, and the brunette was amazed and confused when he saw an oddly familiar face sitting on the other side of the park bench he was sitting on.

"Oh…um, Matthew…" Roderich said with an uncertain smile, "what are you doing here?"

"I just came to the park for a walk." Matthew said with a small smile. "What brings you out here early in the morning?"

"I…I just needed fresh air," Roderich said, leaving out the fact that he had gone crazy last night and treated Gilbert like a pole, something only Antonio would do.

"Have you seen Gilbert yet?"

Roderich didn't know what he should say. He didn't want to tell Matthew too much.

Matthew let out a sigh. "I guess you still haven't forgiven him, huh?"

"I don't really see a point to forgive." Roderich said simply.

"I knew he should have gone back five years ago." Matthew muttered under his breath, but not inaudible to Roderich.

"What do you mean?" The brunette asked.

"It's a long story, but you know that Alfred is my half brother, right?"

Roderich nodded.

"After I knew that Gilbert knew Alfred and Arthur I kinda kept touch with Arthur secretly to know what you were doing," Matthew admitted. "Do you remember the plushie you got when you were married?"

"Yes, I do—" Roderich gasped as he recognized who the plushie was modeled after. "It's Gilbird!"

"I made the plushie after Gilbird and sent it to Arthur to give it to you."

"But—Feliciano said Ludwig bought it…"

"Yes. I know. The point is, a few days after you were married Francis found out where Gilbert was and sent a video of your marriage. Gilbert saw how depressed you were and wanted to go back to you."

"He wanted to come back?" Roderich asked in a small voice. "But I was married by then! What could he possibly do?"

"Yeah, that's what I told him, but he wanted to get you back because he saw how horrible things were for you." Matthew said softy. "But then we got into an accident when we were driving to the airport. Gilbert just had a couple of cuts and bruises, but I…well, put it simply, my condition was worse. I had to stay in the hospital and did rehabilitation for two years. I told him to go back, but he didn't."

Roderich stared at Matthew, who smiled at him. "Gilbert could have come back three years ago, but now eight years have passed. Did another five years make a difference for you, Roderich?"

There were many things the brunette wanted to say but when he opened his mouth just once sentence slipped through. "Why didn't he come back after you finished rehabilitating?"

"Rehab is just a part of getting better. It doesn't make you a hundred percent the person you used to be, but I was able to do things on my own. I told him to go back, but by then he was clucking around me like a mother hen. He pushed me hard, so now I'm as healthy as I used to be—or close enough." Matthew replied as he rubbed his right leg, his lavender eyes turning from the sky to Roderich. "I hope you won't think he chose me over you."

"No, no," Roderich shook his head, "That was the right thing to do—to stay by your side until you fully recover." Even though Roderich hated Gilbert for coming back so late and barging into his life again, he knew Gilbert had done the right thing in staying by Matthew's side—but it did make him a bit jealous.

"You really think so?"

"Yes, I really do think so."

Matthew's eyes turned to the sky again and he let out a sigh. "Roderich, would you mind if I told you something you probably wouldn't like?"

Roderich blinked. "If you're going to mention it you might as well go ahead."

"Well, it's about your wife, Elizaveta," Matthew began, "She's not who you think she is. Gilbert knows her better than you do."

Roderich stared at Matthew. Who was he to say that Elizaveta wasn't what he thought she is? "Do you have a good reason for saying this?"

Matthew blinked at Roderich's hostile tone. "No, I don't, but I believe in Gilbert and whatever he says, because he's a good person. I can see that."

"You shouldn't believe him." Roderich huffed as he crossed his arms. "There are things you don't know."

"I know, but you haven't heard Gilbert's side of the story." Matthew said as he stood up and stretched. "Try to listen to him. Maybe you'll find out more."

Roderich watched as the blond walked away. What did Matthew mean? Was there really something he didn't know? Who was hiding things from him, and why? Roderich turned his violet eyes to the direction of his apartment and stood up. It was time he got himself some answers.

* * *

Gilbert woke up. Yesterday Roderich touched him all over and got him all hot and bothered, but he resisted the urge to take him just like that. Roderich was vulnerable when he was drunk and Gilbert didn't want to take advantage of that.

"Roddy?" Gilbert called out tentatively. There was no response and the albino walked into the kitchen and helped himself to a glass of water while he contemplated whether to leave while Roderich was still out or stay and wait for him.

A good guess was Roderich was embarrassed by his drunken antics and had run out for some air and was probably hoping Gilbert would be gone when he came back. But when he looked around the apartment, he felt that Roderich had unconsciously melded the elements of the previous designs of Gilbert's house into his apartment, and that made him wonder if the brunette was hoping he would feel at home.

Gilbert laughed at his own thought. It was stupid. He picked up his coat and looked around the apartment for the last time. When he was about to leave, a beeping sound stopped him.

"What the…?" Gilbert looked around and realized that it was the intercom. He peered at the screen and his eyes almost bulged out of his sockets when he saw Elizaveta standing at the front door. Hadn't Roderich said she was in France?

Gilbert began pacing around the apartment. He had to think, fast. Part of him wanted to rush down and beat the lights out of her and part of him screamed that he shouldn't do anything rash and he should be rational. But Gilbert was anything but rational when it came to Roderich and Elizaveta.

He pressed the button to let Elizaveta in when she buzzed the second time and waited. Somehow he felt like a mistress about to confront a wife, and that made him feel horrible. After all, he had laughed at all those soap operas that had women snagging each other's husbands and bitch-slapping each other.

The doorbell rang and Gilbert opened the door with a grim expression on his face.

"Oh, Roderich, I know you don't like me coming here, but—" Elizaveta's left her sentence unfinished when she realized it was Gilbert who was standing at the door. Her mouth dropped open and her green eyes flashed with horror and confusion.

"Hey." Gilbert said in a low voice. He imagined himself confronting Elizaveta thousands of times and knew it was bound to happen when he decided to come back, but he never thought it would happen this fast.

"Gilbert…what are you doing here?"

"Roddy said you were in France so he invited me over." Gilbert felt bad about twisting the truth, but he couldn't help but feel satisfied at the hurt that flitted across Elizaveta's face at the mention of her husband. Gilbert stepped back. "Why don't you come in?"

Elizaveta stood at the door for a second before stepping in. "Why are you here?" She asked, and Gilbert detected the quiver of anger in her voice.

"I told you, Roddy invited me over." Gilbert said nonchalantly.

"Liar," Elizaveta said with a confident tone, but Gilbert could see it in her eyes that she was hoping Roderich really hadn't invited Gilbert on his own accord.

"He wanted to talk about what happened eight years ago."

Elizaveta blinked. "You're not going to tell him everything, are you?"

"I can and I will," Gilbert said firmly as he drew himself to his full height.

"Roderich saw with his own eyes." Elizaveta replied with a stance of her own.

"—saw what?" Gilbert asked. "All he saw was the fact that you and I slept together."

"That's enough for him to deny you," Elizaveta said calmly.

"You're trying to act all calm and nonchalant, aren't you? It's not working on me. I know you better than that."

"When have you ever known me, Gilbert?" Elizaveta asked as she sat down on Roderich's violet sofa chair and crossed her legs, "You don't know me at all."

"We were friends, and that's the reason I left things at that."

"You're just making up excuses for you cowardice."

"I took everything on my shoulders just like you wanted me to. I gave you Roderich and hoped that you would treat him well."

"Shut up, Gilbert." Elizaveta said coldly. "You never gave him to me. You took him away with you. He hasn't been himself since you left."

"He doesn't like you, Lizzie," Gilbert said, making Elizaveta winced when he reverted back to their childhood nicknames, "and he never will."

Elizaveta glared at Gilbert. "I admit Roderich doesn't like me, but his parents do. I doubt his parents would accept _you_."

"I don't need his parent's consent. I'm a grown man, and so is he."

"Listen, Gilbert, if I don't back off you two won't get anywhere."

"That's why you have to back off before I spill everything to him."

"Do you really think he'll believe you? I have the _evidence_." Elizaveta said with a smirk. It stung a bit because Gilbert had tried to tell Roderich the truth yesterday but the brunette hadn't believed him.

"That evidence is nothing but an edited CD."

"But Roderich doesn't know that, does he?"

"He'll believe me."

"Why are you sure?" Elizaveta asked.

"Honestly, Lizzie, he still loves me," Gilbert said, feeling confident from Matthew's previous words. Matthew was never wrong.

Elizaveta stood up and faced Gilbert with a stance. Gilbert gulped and instinctively backed away. When they were kids and got into arguments that could only be resolved by physical fighting, she would look at him with a determined glare in her green eyes and the two would have a ridiculous face-off before they got at each other.

"Now, now, we can still talk, can't we?"

"I've been trying to tell you for a long time, _Gil_," Elizaveta said as she tied her hair into a ponytail, "But you just won't listen."

Gilbert braced his body for the impact. In a flash Elizaveta pounced on him and he staggered backwards.

"God, you're heavy!" Gilbert grunted as he tried to pry her off his face. Her hands grabbed his face and her feet locked around his neck. If other people saw, it would look like Gilbert was lifting Elizaveta on his shoulders the way a parent would do when their child couldn't see what was in front of them-except Elizaveta's stomach was facing Gilbert.

"What if I told you it's because I'm pregnant?"

"You're not fucking pregnant!" Gilbert yelled as he reached a hand between Elizaveta's legs and pushed her chin away from his head, "I wore a condom!"

Elizaveta grunted and let the top-half of her body fall backwards, but her legs still gripped Gilbert's neck tightly and brought him down with her. "Your kid would be seven years old by now! I'm talking about Roderich's!"

"Roddy admitted to me yesterday that he hasn't has sex in eight years!"

Elizaveta chose to ignore that comment. "Come on, Gilbert," She said as she stood up and flipped a couple of loose strands backwards, "Are you too old to put up a decent fight now?"

"Shut up, bitch," Gilbert replied as he got up and smoothed back his hair.

"What? Are you going to say that you're giving me a handicap? Just give me all you got!" Elizaveta yelled as she charged at him.

No one could put up a good fight like Elizaveta. Even though Gilbert considered himself fit, he hadn't fought a decent fight in years, and he wondered how much of a chance he had in winning.  
-

It was only a few minutes later that Elizaveta was on top of Gilbert and smothering his face with a pillow.

"You've never won against me when we were kids—did you really think you can win this time?" Elizaveta huffed as she kept the struggling Gilbert down. Gilbert grabbed the pillow from his face and glared at her.

"There's no winning or losing when it comes to Roddy!" Gilbert yelled as he grabbed Elizaveta's shoulders and pushed her down, "You're the one who's getting yourself in this stupid mess! You're the only one who got yourself engaged with Roderich, you're the one who asked me to sleep with you, and you're the one who made that CD, brought the whole thing up with the vice-principal, _and_ sent a copy to Roddy!"

Elizaveta's face was twisted in anger and she was about to shout a response when they both heard the door open. Gilbert turned his head around and his anger turned into fear. Roderich was standing in the doorway and staring at them, his violet eyes wide.

Gilbert looked down at Elizaveta, who just continued to stare at Roderich. The way he was on top of Elizaveta, the way her hair was messed up—Roderich was bound to mistake him again.

"Roddy—" Gilbert let go of Elizaveta, who quickly sat up and fixed her hair.

"What's going on here?" Roderich asked as his eyes flitted from Elizaveta to Gilbert.

"It's not what you think it is—we were having an argument—" Gilbert began, but was cut off by Roderich's hand.

"I don't need to listen anymore. I know enough. Elizaveta," Roderich said coldly as he turned his eyes on his wife. "I need to talk to you."

"Roddy—"

"Gilbert, _I said I need to talk to my wife_!" Roderich yelled. Gilbert flinched and stepped backwards. Roderich had never yelled at him, not even on that day eight years ago.

Gilbert shuffled to the doorway. "I'll be at my _bruder's_." He said hoarsely.

Roderich nodded as he pointed to the door. "Thank you. Now go."

* * *

Roderich sat at the kitchen table with his wife sitting on the opposite side. After the talk with Matthew Roderich decided to go back to the apartment and ask Gilbert what actually happened all those years ago and happened to hear the argument between Gilbert and Elizaveta. He needed answers. And now was the time to get them.

"Why are you here, Elizaveta?" Roderich asked as curtly as he could. "I thought you were supposed to be in France."

Elizaveta took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."

"That's impossible." Roderich shot out, almost too cruel for his taste.

"It's true!" Elizaveta cried out. "Gilbert didn't believe me."

"I don't believe you either."

"I know you don't care if your parents want a grandchild, but I told you _my _parents want us to have one!"

Roderich blanched. Five years into their marriage and still without child, Elizaveta was pressured by her parents to conceive a child. Roderich proposed to do In Vitro Fertilization and Elizaveta had accepted.

"It worked?" Roderich asked feebly.

"It worked, Roderich, it worked. I have a child now."

"How many…?" Roderich left his questions trailing off into silence as his violet eyes searched Elizaveta's green ones.

"Three months. Honestly, Roderich, I got an ultrasound within the first eight weeks after the IVF. Actually, I have twins."

Roderich bit his lip to keep his jaw from dropping open. "T...twins?" He managed, and Elizaveta nodded. The possibility of having a child changed things for him. He couldn't just throw Elizaveta away when she was pregnant, especially when she was having twins. Twins! Roderich couldn't believe he was going to be a father of twins, but... "If you really are pregnant, why did you push yourself to fight with GIlbert? What if...?"

Elizaveta laid a hand on her stomach. "I know what I did is dangerous, but I felt like I needed it."

"Elizaveta, you—" Roderich stopped himself. _**What were you thinking? You could've hurt yourself and the babies!**_ He finished screaming in his mind.

"- I can answer your questions, Roderich," Elizaveta interrupted as she smiled sadly, "Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I'm fragile. But you can't yell at me. You know— the bad vibes." She rubbed her stomach and Roderich sighed. He just didn't have it in him to yell at Elizaveta anymore.

"…tell me, what happened eight years ago?"

"I knew you were dating Gilbert." Elizaveta said with a wry smile, "It was obvious, and I didn't like it because I wanted you to like me. I really love you, Roderich."

Roderich didn't know what to say. He drummed his fingers on the table top.

"So I told Gilbert that I liked him and if he slept with me once I would move on and annul our engagement so you two could be together."

"And he believed you?" Roderich asked as he stopped his fingers.

"Gilbert was reluctant, but he wanted to be with you."

Roderich held back and angry sigh as he tapped his finger on the table. "Why _that _place?"

Elizaveta raised her green eyes to meet Roderich's violet ones. "You brought him to our house, Roderich."

Roderich blinked. "How do you know that?"

"Your butler told me you were there. I went and saw you and Gilbert sleeping side by side—just like how you found me and him."

"So…you…you did it on purpose?" Roderich couldn't believe this. It was horrifying.

"I admit it was selfish of me." Elizaveta said quietly, and Roderich found himself trembling violently. Gilbert and Elizaveta were just too much to bear.

"What else are you hiding from me?" Roderich asked, trying hard not to yell.

"On our graduation day, a package was sent to your house," Elizaveta began, "It was—"

"—the German Cross Gilbert sent to me for a graduation gift." Roderich finished as he rubbed his temples. "Elizaveta, I think you need to leave."

"Don't you have any more questions?" Elizaveta asked. Her voice was trembling and her eyes were moistening with tears.

"I do, but I'm going to Gilbert for them. He's easier to yell at."

"I'll be here for another couple of months in our house," Elizaveta said as she began blinking quickly, and Roderich turned away from her. "I'll be there if you ever need some answers."

"Thank you," Roderich said quietly, but not before the door was closed, leaving a dull echoing thud in the air.

* * *

Gilbert stared at Elizaveta. From the red corners of her eyes it was evident that she had cried earlier. The two sat in the living room of Gilbert's—or rather, Ludwig's—house. Feliciano had slipped out of the room earlier, but Gilbert was one hundred percent sure he was listening from behind the door. He stomped his foot and was answered by the sound of Feliciano scurrying away.

"It's time we talked." Elizaveta said with a shaking voice. Gilbert noticed she was rubbing her hand on her stomach and raised an eyebrow but didn't comment.

"We should have had this talk a while back." Gilbert said as he leaned back into the sofa.

"Do you remember when we were kids?" Elizaveta asked, and Gilbert nodded.

"I hated your guts because you were taller and stronger than me."

"I hated you because you were snobby."

"We got into a fight—"

"—I fell off the cliff—"

"—and I awesomely saved you."

The two smiled a bit at the memory before falling into silence.

"I liked you, Gilbert, I really did." Elizaveta said softly. "I thought you didn't like me that way because I was too boyish, so I began wearing girl's clothes and grew my hair out. When you asked me why, I couldn't admit the truth to you, so I told you about Roderich."

"You what?" Gilbert said in amazement as he began recalling all the times Elizaveta told him about Roderich with such hope in her voice. "So that was all about getting my attention?"

"I really wanted your attention, but later on, I realized I was in love with Roderich. The moment you saw him, I knew you had fallen for him."

"Lizzie, you…"

"I know, Gilbert, I know. I was confused. I made mistakes and tried to repair them by making even more mistakes. But I'm not backing down just yet." Elizaveta said as she rubbed her stomach again.

"Stop rubbing your stomach like you're pregnant."

"I am, Gilbert."

"That's not possible!" Gilbert said loudly, as if he was trying to drain out the possibility that Roderich had slept with Elizaveta after all.

"We did an IVF."

"….a test tube baby?" Gilbert blinked in amazement and relief at the same time. He knew it was humiliating for Elizaveta to admit that her healthy self and her healthy husband had to use IVF to conceive a child instead of the natural way, but he was still relieved.

Elizaveta smiled wryly. "It worked. I really am pregnant."

Gilbert didn't know what to say. Elizaveta stood up. "I'm leaving Gilbert. I just wanted to tell you that I'm really pregnant."

Damn, Gilbert thought as he watched Elizaveta leave. Damn!  
-

Roderich called Gilbert later in the afternoon.

"You imbecile!" Roderich yelled the moment Gilbert picked up the phone. "I shouldn't have slept with you in my house! You were just satisfying yourself being the first one to lie on that bed!"

"What?" Gilbert gasped incredulously. "I was not satisfying myself!"

"You knew what the house meant! You knew what that bed was meant for! It was supposed to be shared between me and Elizaveta, Gilbert, but I shared it with you!"

"Why are you talking about this?"

"_Because Elizaveta knew that we slept on that bed together!_" Roderich yelled, and Gilbert heard the sound of Roderich gulping and pouring liquid.

"You're drinking again?" Gibert sighed.

"Why shouldn't I? You two messed me up!" Roderich yelled into the phone, "I was supposed to be normal!"

"Which part of you isn't?" Gilbert said in exasperation as he held the phone away from his ear.

"Everything! I mean, who dates a man while he's engaged? Who does an IVF when he's perfectly healthy? Who marries someone he can't touch? Who vomits after kissing a woman?"

"You're perfectly normal—wait, what? You vomited after you kissed Lizzie?"

"What, you're back to endearments?" Roderich shot back at Gilbert. "Why do you care anyways?"

Gilbert smiled uncertainly. "Roddy, you're acting weird."

"She's pregnant, Gilbert, _pregnant_! With twins!"

Gilbert felt his mouth drop open. "Twins? Twins?"

"What am I supposed to do? I can't take you back— It's not like I'm considering that either— god, I should just castrate myself!"

Gilbert cringed. "That's going a bit too far…"

"Shut up! She's pregnant with _my_ children and it's—it's just overwhelming!"

"Roddy, I really think you should let off the wine a bit."

"What am I supposed to do?" Roderich repeated, "You and Elizaveta have messed me up to the point I don't even recognize myself! Just go die and disappear!"

"Roddy—Roddy!" Gilbert yelled into the phone, but the line was already dead. **_Shit, did he reallys say twins? Lizzie has two kids?_**

* * *

Roderich was half drunk when Gilbert pressed his buzzer.

"What do you want?" Roderich said into the intercom.

"_Just let me in."_ Gilbert's voice sounded, and Roderich obliged. He wanted to punch Gilbert in the face. Hell, he wanted to punch himself in the face.

When he heard the doorbell ring, Roderich walked over to the door and opened it. He stared at Gilbert and Gilbert stared back at him, both of them unsure of what to do. Gilbert stepped in and closed the door behind him, looking at Roderich. When Roderich lifted his eyes to meet Gilbert's red ones, he snapped.

"Woah, Roddy—" The albino yelped in surprise when Roderich grabbed a fistful of his shirt and promptly smashed their lips together. Roderich pushed Gilbert against the door, kissing him hungrily. He didn't care anymore. He didn't want to think.

Gilbert blinked in surprise but he didn't say anything. Instead, he reached a hand to grab Roderich's waist and left his other cup the back of the Roderich's head. Roderich moaned into Gilbert's mouth. This was what a kiss felt like. Hot, fiery, passionate, and bruising. Roderich fumbled with Gilbert's belt and Gilbert pulled off Roderich's shirt, the two bumping into the walls before they finally got to the bed.

Roderich kicked off his pants while Gilbert followed suit, both of them falling on the bed, their tongues still tangled in a hot messy kiss. The brunette gasped when he felt a hot hand on his front and shivered when a finger pressed upon him. Even though it had been eight years Gilbert still knew where to touch, stroke, and press to make him feel good. Roderich hadn't forgotten either. His body still remembers Gilbert's touch and he could feel himself aching for more as his body arched up to meet Gilbert's.

He could feel Gilbert's fingers against him and he slapped a hand wildly around the drawer next to him, his hand snatching a bottle of lube and pushing it into Gilbert's hand. The albino blinked in confusion but quickly poured the lube onto his hand and rubbed it warm before applying it to Roderich's rear, making the brunette shiver.

Gilbert pushed a finger in gently but Roderich shoved himself backwards so the finger was now inside him.

"Roddy, you have to loosen up properly—"

"Just do it already!" Roderich growled into the pillow as he wiggled his hips, feeling the tension coil in his stomach, hot and demanding for an immediate thrust of friction. Gilbert took his finger out and Roderich flipped himself over and pushed the albino down, unable to wait for a second longer. He knew he would be alright—after all, those toys his friends sent him during his wedding hadn't gone to naught.

Gilbert was soon inside Roderich, hot and throbbing, after the brunette lowered himself twice. Roderich let out a tantalizing moan and began moving, feeling Gilbert thrust against him desperately. Roderich hadn't felt this alive in years. His whole body was on fire, his body was screaming for more, and he could feel the raging pulse of Gilbert's heart beneath his palms. He pushed himself up and down and up and down and he just couldn't stop. He wanted more, _needed _more.

Roderich reached down and pulled Gilbert up for another kiss, to which the albino happily obliged. Roderich then let Gilbert pull out and fell on all fours.

"Ram into me," Roderich breathed, and his wish was immediately granted. He panted and moaned and cried when he felt the pleasure rising and rising and rising until he couldn't handle it anymore and released. He felt something trickle down his thigh and dimly realized that Gilbert hadn't worn a condom.

"Again," Roderich whispered. Gilbert grabbed him and turned him around before pushing into his body vigorously. It had been so long Roderich was almost going crazy. He had sustained himself with the toys and bits and pieces from his memory, but this was better than anything. Gilbert continued to push and pull and push back into Roderich, who let out a delirious cry when he came again, and again, and again.

When the two were finally finished they collapsed on the bed and Gilbert pulled out, his semen trickling through Roderich's entrance and down his thighs. The haze in Roderich's mind was beginning to clear and he turned around to look at Gilbert, who turned to look at him.

"What am I going to do? What are we going to do?" Roderich asked, and Gilbert kissed his forehead.

"I don't know, I really don't know."  
-

The next morning Roderich took a shower and washed the remains of yesterday down the drain. He hadn't been thinking straight at all. Why did he just jump to sex? Sure, it felt good and all-but it wasn't what he had in mind. When he stepped out of the shower Gilbert was still on the bed, his silver hair tousled and his expression peaceful.

Roderich pulled a chair near the bed and sat there, looking at Gilbert. He loved him more than anything, and his feelings hadn't changed at all in the eight years they were apart, but there were problems. Elizaveta, the babies, his parents...

Damn all his problems. What on earth was he going to do?

* * *

**So there we have it! Elizaveta is pregnant with twins! What will Roderich do? **

**Chapter nine is going to come very slowly, but I hope to have it done soon. **

**How was the chapter? Reviews please :)**


	9. Elizaveta and Gilbert

**Hello to everyone who is reading this story or chapter!**

**The part written in** _Italics _**is Elizaveta's letter, and the **_"Italics in quotations" _**are phone calls.**

**I don't own Hetalia. **

* * *

Gilbert snapped awake when he realized he was on an unfamiliar bed. When he realized Roderich wasn't in bed anymore he dragged himself up. Now that he was awake he wasn't sure what to do, because even though he and Roderich had sex it didn't mean that everything was okay. Gilbert slipped his boxers back on with a grimace before heading to the kitchen, wondering what Roderich would say to him.

"Roddy?" The albino called out, but there was no reply, and he assumed the brunette had run out again, only to be scared to death when he realized Roderich was sitting at the table with a few pages spread out in front of him.

"Gilbert, read this," Roderich said in a small voice, and Gilbert picked up the sheets of paper, his eyes widening when he realized what it was.

_Dear Roderich, _

_I know I'm wrong. I have been wrong from the start, but I can't stop myself. Gilbert was my friend, and I turned by back on him. I hurt him because I want to be with you, and because of that, I hurt you too. But I think you should know how I feel instead of just labeling me as an antagonist.  
_

"What the hell?" Gilbert exclaimed. "What is she doing?"

"Just read," Roderich said tiredly.

_I met Gilbert when I was six. I followed my mother to the Japanese-styled inn Gilbert's aunt runs, and I was hoping to climb some trees and even catch fish in the stream. If you ever have a chance to go there, you'll see how breathtakingly beautiful things are in the mountains. I was excited, maybe you would be too? But then again, you're not physically fit, are you?_

_When my mother got the room key I raced straight to the room and opened the door. A small scrawny boy lay, with his eyes closed, beside the window, his silver hair and pale limbs almost glinting in the sunlight. I was young, and I was amazed. _

"_Who are you?" I asked him as I poked him. "You're so…_white_."_

_His eyes fluttered open, and I gasped. "Your eyes are red!"_

_Roderich, you must know who I'm talking about, right? It's Gilbert. That's exactly how I met him. My mother came in after that and Gilbert woke up and just jumped out the window into the room next door. He captivated me, he was special, but I couldn't put a finger on why he was. I wanted to meet him again. That night, during dinner, I did._

Gilbert looked at Roderich, who was staring at the wall, before looking back at the paper. He never knew Elizaveta had been so fascinated by him. Then again, her pride would never allow her to admit it. Gilbert still remembered how dinner that night went.

* * *

*From this point on until the end of the letter it will be: Gil's POV flashback, letter, POV, letter…*

Gilbert sulked at the table. He had been sent by his parents to the inn his aunt ran in the mountains, and he wasn't enjoying his stay a bit. His aunt was loud and simple; nice in character, but mean when Gilbert disobeyed her. He just did by running into a random room and having his afternoon nap there. His was six already, he didn't need be in his aunt's sight all the time, right?

That night during dinner Gilbert was told to be polite and not to poke at his food. He didn't like being told that, but the look on his aunt's face was enough to scare him. His aunt told him that she had two guests today, an one was a girl around his age, and he should be happy to have a friend since his younger brother Ludwig wasn't around.

Gilbert didn't like girls. They were fussy and noisy and cried when they didn't have it their way. They liked hopscotch and jumping ropes and ring-around-a-posy. They wore stupid ribbons in their hair and dragged stupid teddy bears around. They didn't like mud and climbing trees. They were just girls.

The sliding door opened and a nice looking lady stepped in, a tall girl following him. Or at least that's what Gilbert was told. Elizaveta was tall and handsome for her age and could have passed off as a boy. Gilbert took an instant liking to her. She seemed to be different from other girls. However, Gilbert didn't like the mother, even if she was pretty. He hated rich people. Now that he was thinking about it, Elizaveta was a rich kid too. So he hated her too.

His aunt told him to introduce himself.

"My name is Gilbert. I'm Prussian, I'm awesome, and I hate you," He said straightforwardly to Elizaveta's mother, and earned himself a whack on the head. Elizaveta's mother laughed while her daughter frowned.

"Mommy, he hates you," Elizaveta said with a frown. "I don't like people who hate you. I hate him."

Elizaveta's mother smiled. "Honey, a lot of people hate me but they say they like me. This child is honest, and I like him."

Gilbert looked at Elizaveta's mother, suddenly feeling bad for hating her. She seemed like a nice person. He thought all rich people were evil and wore fur from poor animals and had stinking perfume around them. Like Cruella de Vil. But this woman was different. She had a fresh air around her and she wasn't wearing any fur.

"I'm sorry," Gilbert said as he scraped his carrots up and put them on her plate, "You're not mean."

Elizaveta's mother stared at the carrots in her plate before letting out another laugh. Gilbert smiled, thinking that it was a wonderful sound. His smile was short-lived because his aunt immediately whacked him on the head again.

"Don't give your carrots to other people!"

"But you told me to be nice, and I am!"

"By giving someone something you don't eat?"

From across the table Elizaveta immediately flipped the carrots toward Gilbert with her spoon.

* * *

_We began fighting shortly after that. We had a brawl at every opportunity we had. I picked on his size, he picked on my speed. Even though I hate to admit it, I'm slower than him in running and climbing trees. _

_Five weeks into my vacation and I was still on bad terms with Gilbert. My mother told me to be nice, and I tried to, but something about Gilbert just made me mad. Maybe it was because he put his carrots on my mother's plate, or maybe it was because he wasn't taking me seriously. I don't know, but I decided to talk to Gilbert. _

* * *

"Red-eyes, it's about time we talk!" Elizaveta said as she stood with her hands on her waist, her green eyes flashing and her tone demanding. She had found Gilbert in the forest flipping the rocks for worms.

"I'm not called red-eyes," Gilbert muttered as he moved to another place to find worms, which he recently had the cruel pleasure of cutting them in half to see if they could regenerate or not.

"Well then, pale-boy."

"I'm not called that either, she-male." Gilbert said as he dug in the earth, starting to doubt if he could find a worm in the forest.

"What's a 'she-male'?" Elizaveta asked as she crossed her arms, and Gilbert sighed.

"It means a girl who acts like a boy."

Elizaveta let out an offended cry. "I am not a girl!"

Gilbert gaped as he looked up at her. "What do you mean, 'I am not a girl'?"

"I'm a boy! I'm going to be the manliest warrior you've ever met!" Elizaveta declared as she began to climb a nearby tree.

"You're a girl!" Gilbert yelled up at her, even though her image screamed 'boy.' "You're supposed to play hopscotch and jump rope and stomp your feet!" He yelled.

"I'm a boy! Why are you saying I'm a girl?" Elizaveta yelled back as she broke a thin branch and threw it down at Gilbert.

"Ow! That hurts!"

"Say I'm a boy!" Elizaveta demanded as she threw down another branch.

"You're not a boy!"

"I am a boy!" Elizaveta screamed at the top of her lungs.

"You're not a boy!" Gilbert screamed back in exasperation. Things were getting out of hand for his six-year-old self. Why would a girl say she's a boy? It made no sense. Elizaveta climbed back down and glared at Gilbert.

"Why do you say I'm not a boy, do you have proof?"

Gilbert blanched. He _did_ have proof, but his mother told him never to show it to anybody else, especially girls. She also told him that he should never, ever, try to look at a girl's…well, girl-part.

"You don't have proof, do you?" Elizaveta said smugly when Gilbert fell silent.

"I can't show you, my _mamma_ said I can't."

Elizaveta narrowed her eyes. "Why can't you?"

"…because you're a girl." Gilbert said, and within a blink of an eye Elizaveta was on him, pounding down on him hard.

"I. Am. Not. A. Girl!" Elizaveta screeched as she hit him, and Gilbert felt his patience wane. What girl in her right mind would say she's not a girl? Gilbert couldn't understand this.

"Stop hitting me!" Gilbert yelled as he shoved Elizaveta to the side, and the brunette rolled over, letting out a scream. Gilbert rolled up and tried to find Elizaveta, who had disappeared. He looked around before finally looking down, realizing in horror that she was dangling on the edge of a cliff.

"_Mein Gott!_" Gilbert exclaimed as he looked down at Elizaveta and back up around his surroundings to find something for Elizaveta to grab on. He then looked at his hands. What were hands for when there was someone in need?

Gilbert leaned down and stretched out his hand. "Grab it!" He yelled, and Elizaveta looked at his hand before looking back at the tiny foothold she was grabbing.

"Say I'm a boy!"

"What? Just grab my hand!" Gilbert yelled. What the hell was wrong with this girl? Someone normal would have grabbed his hand by now, yet this girl was insisting that he admit she was a boy before she would grab his hands?

"Say I'm a boy!" Elizaveta repeated, and Gilbert sighed angrily.

"_Dummkopf_!" Gilbert yelled, more to himself than Elizaveta, "You're a boy, you're a boy!" He screamed, and Elizaveta grabbed his hand and let him pull her to safety. When they both lay panting—Elizaveta from the adrenaline of her near-death experience and Gilbert from his frustration and fear—Elizaveta laughed.

"You admitted that I'm a boy!"

Gilbert wanted to smash his fist into her face, but he let it go for now. "_Ja_, you're a boy. If you ever get a boyfriend, introduce him to me so I can tell him how stupid you are."

* * *

_After that Gilbert and I maintained a friendly relationship. We did almost everything together. Each summer I looked forward to meeting him. I guess time really changes things, because before I knew it I had begun to like Gilbert more than a friend. I was afraid he wouldn't be my friend anymore if he knew, but I tried to find out how he felt for me by bringing you up, Roderich. Remember the time we met? _

_The other girls made fun of me because I wasn't lady-like, but you said every girl is a lady and deserves respect. After you left, I squeezed a lemon dry in front of those girls to prove that I'm not someone they can laugh at. But that's not the point, is it? _

_I feel bad for saying this to you now, but I used you, Roderich. _

* * *

Gilbert's mouth dropped open. Elizaveta was barely unrecognizable. Her brown hair was longer and she had a bang that parted to the right and a flower clip. Her freckles, which were the result of her spending an ample amount of time in the sun, had faded, and she was wearing a dress with stockings and all that… gal-getup. The moment she opened her mouth, though, Gilbert felt a wave of relief wash through him.

"What are you staring at, Gil?"

"Lizzie, you look…different." Gilbert said, and Elizaveta tapped her foot on the floor as she looked at him.

"Don't you have anything else to say?"

Gilbert tilted his head sideways and slapped a fist on his palm. "Oh, yes, I do! Let's go to the west side of the forest!" He said, missing Elizaveta's disappointed expression, "My aunt said we're old enough to go there."

"What about your brother?" Elizaveta asked.

"My parents say _mein bruder_ is going to be more successful in the future so they're 'investing' on him." Gilbert replied with a shrug. "He's going to come next summer I guess."

"Oh. I have to change though." Elizaveta gestured to her dress.

"_Oh yeah_," Gilbert said, or shouted to be more precise, "You finally realized you're girl!"

"We're eleven, Gilbert, and I've known I am a girl since I was eight," Elizaveta replied with disappointment in her voice. "I just wanted to try on some stuff because I'm going to be a 'lady'."

"Oh," Gilbert replied, "Anyways, it looks okay-ish."

Elizaveta stomped her foot, making Gilbert jump in surprise. "Gilbert Beilschmidt, just…just…go rot and die off!" Elizaveta yelled. "And…Roderich is so much better than you!"

"I was about to say she looks better in shorts and a T-shirt…" Gilbert muttered to himself as he scratched the back of his head. "And who the hell is Roderich?"  
-

"Roderich is so dreamy and he's such a gentleman!" Elizaveta cooed as she hiked up the path a few paces ahead of Gilbert, who tried to stop himself from rolling his eyes lest they fall out of his eye sockets from over-rolling.

"He's the same age as us, Lizzie, he's just a boy." Gilbert said with a frown. From the start of their trip all he heard about was Roderich this, Roderich that. Roderich can play the piano, Roderich can sing in a beautiful voice, Roderich's handwriting is elegant, Roderich reads a lot of books, Roderich wears glasses…what the hell?

Gilbert was expecting to hear something more fun and exciting, not something about a four-eyed freak. He didn't like this Roderich one bit. Aside from Elizaveta and her mother, Gilbert was sure other rich people were really snobby and didn't care about the world at all.

"Well, he's more mature than you are!" Elizaveta replied as she looked back at Gilbert's sullen face. "Why are you frowning? Are you mad that I'm talking about Roderich all the time?"

Gilbert's brows furrowed together and he glared at his friend. "I'm mad because you're acting like a girl."

This time it was Elizaveta who frowned. "You kept saying that I'm a girl not a boy and now that I'm acting like a girl you don't want me to act like one?"

Gilbert blinked at the long sentence before a frown replaced his confused expression. "Well, it's good that you know you're a girl, but you're acting too girly."

Elizaveta glared at him and stopped hiking. "You're weird, Gil! You want me to be a girl, but you say I'm acting too girly! What on earth does the word 'girl' mean to you? Go and explore yourself, I'm not going anymore because I'm a girl!" She stomped backwards and past Gilbert, heading back down to the inn.

Gilbert's hand moved unconsciously towards her and his mouth opened, but he didn't call her and ask her to stay. He let his hand fall to his side and he sighed. What was going on? Gilbert liked Elizaveta the way she was before she started wearing dresses and hair clips. He liked the way she would smile at him and splash in the water with him and catch frogs with him. He didn't like how she talked about another boy like he was her life and how she was becoming more of a girly girl than the strong image she had shown him.

Gilbert blinked rapidly before his mouth opened in a surprised 'o'. A blush immediately crossed his face. "I'm crushing on Lizzie?" He muttered to the trees, only to have his question answered by the sound of sweeping leaves.

* * *

_Gilbert didn't understand at all. He didn't understand my feelings. I talked about you endlessly, Roderich, and I sung your praises to him, but Gilbert just shrugged like I was talking about my favorite TV show. It didn't affect him one bit. _

_The next year, I completely changed. I knew Gilbert wasn't feeling anything for me, so I gave up. I decided to find someone else who could reciprocate my feelings. I stopped calling Gilbert 'Gil', and I stopped going on adventures with him. I became a lady, something my father wanted me to be—and I fell in love with you. _

_The closer I was to being a lady, the closer I felt to you._

_Meanwhile, the relationship between Gilbert and I changed. We were still on a friendly basis, but not as friendly as we were before. First, we stopped spending time together. Next, Gilbert's brother, Ludwig, got into an accident. After that Gilbert stopped coming to the inn because it reminded him of his failure as a brother, or so I think. _

_We continued to text each other, which was now the extent of our relationship. _

_I met Gilbert again when high school started. He texted me saying that he was going to the same school I was, and both of his friends were as well. I saw him at the welcoming ceremony, but we did nothing but briefly acknowledge each other's existence, for appearances mattered, and he knew that as much as I did. _

_It wasn't before long that I realized he had begun to look for you because he heard that you were in the same school. This might sound cruel, but if I knew Gilbert would fall in love with you at first sight, I would have gouged his eyes out. That way, none of this would have happened._

_I'm such a horrible person, aren't I?_

* * *

Gilbert saw Elizaveta in the crowd. She had grown to become beautiful, and carried a strong aura around her that attracted immediate followers. To the girls she was nicknamed 'the prince', and to the boys she was 'the princess'. Gilbert waved, she waved back, and he continued on his journey to find his friends, Francis and Antonio. Seeing Elizaveta hadn't made the impact on Gilbert he thought it might bring, and he figured his crush on Elizaveta had long faded for reasons he could no longer remember.

"Gilbert, _mon ami_, we are over here," A familiar voice called, and Gilbert grinned as he joined his friends.

"Franny, Toni, where did you two go?"

"Franny went to seduce some of the teachers!" Antonio replied with a cheerful grin, and Francis let out a mock gasp.

"I most certainly did not— all I did was merely a show of affection." The Frenchman added with a devious grin.

Gilbert had met his two best friends in middle school and they hit off instantly. Antonio had a strong sense of justice and was a strong fighter. Gilbert and him had bonded after a random street fight they had carelessly gotten themselves involved in.

Francis was rich, but he had a different demeanor and was fun to hang out with. Gilbert met him when he headed to the infirmary for a nap and caught Francis going at it with the nurse, who happened to be male. That aside, when Gilbert told the blond about Elizaveta he was surprised Francis knew her, and even more surprised when he mentioned Roderich.

"I know her," Francis had told him, "She is the daughter of the Héderváry family, _oui_? It seems like her mother is wishing for her to marry my cousin Roderich."

"Roderich? Is he a dude with brown hair and plays the piano and wears glasses and shit?" Gilbert asked quickly, and Francis raised an eyebrow.

"Do you know him?"

"Oh," Gilbert said as he cursed himself for losing composure. He had heard so much about Roderich it was impossible to ignore a chance to meet him. "Lizzie told me about him."

"I see," Francis said with a smile. "If you want to meet him—"

Gilbert chickened out. He didn't really want to meet this Roderich after all. "Nah, thanks, I was just surprised that he's your cousin."

"Roderich is at this school," Francis said, his words snapping Gilbert out of his flashback episode.

"He is?" Gilbert asked dumbly before realizing that it was a given. Elizaveta would do anything to be in the same school as that Roderich.

A few weeks after the ceremony, Gilbert found himself unable to stop looking for Roderich. He had yet to meet or see the brunette at all, and he wondered why he was so stuck on catching a glimpse of the rich snob at all.

And then he saw him.

It was easy to recognize him with Elizaveta's description, but Gilbert never imagined that seeing Roderich would have that much of an impact on him. As cliché as it might sound, Roderich was perfect. His dark brown hair, his violet eyes, his thin-rimmed glasses, his thin lips and the mole near them, his straight back and his slender fingers…

Gilbert knew he wanted, no, _desired_ the brunette, and the realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He quickly hid away from Roderich's view and looked around in confusion at a loud thumping sound that was pumping in his ears. Putting a hand on his chest he realized, with a small blush on his cheeks, that it was his heart that was beating crazily for Roderich.

It was insane.

* * *

_Roderich, he fell in love with you, but why did you fall in love with him? Why can't you love me? Why would you choose someone you can't be with? You might say I'm cruel and Gilbert's cruel, but aren't you the one who's cruel? _

_I know you were dating Gilbert and I let you. I tried to tell myself that it was okay, but it wasn't. It wasn't okay, Roderich. What were you thinking and how did you feel when you were juggling Gilbert and me on either hand? _

_I needed to get Gilbert away from you. I needed you to hate him. And so I made a plan, and it worked. The CD, the whole 'I was forced' situation, everything, as you now know, was a lie. _

* * *

Gilbert was confused. He loved Roderich more than anything, but he was aware that Roderich was outwardly cheating on him. Not in an emotional sense, of course, but being engaged to Elizaveta was a form of cheating, wasn't it?

He knew that Roderich was supposed to marry Elizaveta and he shouldn't have butted in from the beginning, but everything went too fast for him to stop himself. Wait. He was lying. He didn't want to stop loving Roderich, and that was his downfall.

"_Gilbert? I need to talk to you,"_ Elizaveta said quietly when she called Gilbert on a spring evening. The albino raised an eyebrow when he noticed the lack of sharpness in his old friend's tone.

"What? If it's about me leaving Roderich, forget it."

"…_I'm willing to annul the engagement between me and Roderich if you're willing to accept three conditions."_

Gilbert's ears perked up when he heard Elizaveta's proposal. "What are those three conditions? They aren't anything bad or weird…right?"

There was a moment of silence before Elizaveta spoke.

"_First, meet me at the house in the maze." _Gilbert's eyes widened, but he didn't want to know how Elizaveta knew about his and Roderich's special place. _"Second, listen to me."_

"What's the third?"

"_You'll know when you see me."_

Having said that, Elizaveta hung up, leaving Gilbert to ponder on her proposal. It sure didn't sound bad, considering the end result was Elizaveta annulling the engagement, but he was confident there was something he wasn't going to like.

In fact, there were two things he already disliked. The first was meeting Elizaveta at the house and the second was about the unknown third condition. It gave Gilbert a bad feeling, but he supposed he didn't have a choice. He wanted Elizaveta to back out.

Gilbert arrived at the house on time and saw a glint of light from the living room. He headed in and saw Elizaveta sitting on the couch. The two of them greeted each other coldly.

"Elizaveta."

"Gilbert."

"Are you going to hold your end of the promise when we're done here?" Gilbert asked as he sat down opposite of Elizaveta, his red eyes wary.

Elizaveta smiled, but there was no strength behind it. "Of course."

Gilbert crossed his legs. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"Gilbert, you might think I'm crazy and I know I've been mean and horrible to you—but I love you." Elizaveta blurted out as she wrung her hands together.

The albino blinked before laughing. "Seriously, don't you have something better to say?"

Elizaveta hung her head and remained silent until Gilbert was done laughing. She then raised her tear-filled eyes and looked at Gilbert.

"I've always liked you, Gilbert, and I just wanted you to stay away from Roderich."

Gilbert looked at his old friend in the eye and wondered if there was a truth behind her words. He wondered if he could believe that small truth. "You never told me anything," he began slowly, "You just talked about Roddy all the time like he was your life and you expect me to believe that? How old are we? We're already _eighteen_, Elizaveta—how many years have you had to tell me you like me?"

"You were never interested in me, Gilbert. I thought it was because I was a tomboy, so I changed my style of clothing and grew out my hair, but you still weren't interested."

Gilbert didn't know what to say. He did have a crush on Elizaveta, but since she was always talking about Roderich he assumed that she liked him. Crimson eyes looked away from her before looking back.

"What do you want? I don't understand why you're saying this now."

Elizaveta looked Gilbert in the eye. "I want you to sleep with me, Gilbert."

Gilbert laughed in wild confusion. "What the hell? There's something wrong with you. Why makes you think I'd sleep with you anyways?"

"You promised three conditions by coming here, Gilbert, and the first two are already done." Elizaveta said as she walked towards Gilbert and knelt beside him. "You came here, you listened to me, and now it's time for the third one."

"You don't mean—"

"Sleep with me, Gilbert." She said, and Gilbert cringed slightly when she covered his hand with hers.

Gilbert moved away from her. "Why would you ask me to do this when you know I'm dating Roddy?"

"Don't you want me to annul the engagement?"

"If you really like me, I can't feel it 'cause this feels like blackmail."

"Sometimes one has to resort extreme measures to get what one wants—and I promise, Gilbert, that I won't bother you or Roderich ever again— I really just need this one time."

Gilbert bit his lower lip. He decided to believe her, and he was a fool for doing so.

* * *

_It was empty. There were no emotions at all, but I made myself believe I loved Gilbert, even for a fraction of a second. I told myself it was just a sacrifice and you would accept me as who I am. After that, I edited the CD and made two copies. I kept one for myself and sent you the other one._

_You know how things ended. You accepted me, but you were devastated. I know you don't love me, but I hoped somewhere in my heart that you might. _

_The years passed quickly, or did they pass slowly? I don't know. Eight years in total, Roderich, and nothing ever happened. Time doesn't help in some situation, does it? It seems that being pregnant doesn't help either. _

_You don't really want the children, do you? Our children are nothing but reminders of our failed marriage. It would be better if you just ran off with Gilbert somewhere, right? _

_Now that I've explained things to you, I think it's time for me to take a vacation. Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything stupid, and I'm not going to abort our children—it's too late for that anyways. _

_Don't try to find me and don't go to Feliks because I made him take an oath of absolute secrecy. _

_Just live your life the way you want it, Roderich, and take good care of yourself._

_If you're worrying about my parents, they'll be in Amsterdam starting next month and won't be back until next year. By then the children will have been born, and we'll probably meet again at that time. _

_Yours forever, Elizaveta. _

*just to clarify this is the end of the letter and flash backs*

* * *

Gilbert set down the letter and looked at Roderich. "Roddy?" He asked tentatively, and the brunette let out a long sigh.

"What should I do? Elizaveta's gone off."

"She told you not to find her and she's going to be okay, so don't worry too much." Gilbert said gently as he moved two fingers and smoothed out Roderich's furrowing eyebrows.

"Gilbert, did you know that she had feelings for you?" Roderich asked quietly, and Gilbert sighed.

"She was too proud to admit that, I guess. I never really knew that until she told me truthfully."

Roderich was silent for a moment before he looked up at Gilbert. "May I ask about Ludwig?"

Gilbert chuckled before he pulled a chair for himself. "Well..._mein bruder_ was already smart when he was a child, and he had an impressive knowledge on survival skills and other things, so I thought it was okay to bring him along with me to explore the west side of the mountain. But I didn't take into account that he wasn't physically able to go on my little 'expeditions'."

"Isn't Ludwig the athletic type?" Roderich asked, and Gilbert shook his head.

"I trained him to be more athletic after his accident."

"...accident?"

Gilbert smiled ruefully. "I dragged him along with me, and he lost his footing and fell off the cliff. It was amazing that he survived, but he lost his memory from that point backwards. Well, he retained his general knowledge, but the only people he could remember was a girl he met in the park earlier and me." Gilbert looked at Roderich painfully. "I was careless and he ended up getting hurt, but he remembered me."

Roderich covered Gilbert's trembling hand with his own. "Gilbert," He said in a soothing voice, "Ludwig is doing fine now, isn't he?"

Gilbert bit his lower lip. "He is. He met Feli and all, so everything's fine for him."

"Then isn't that alright?" Roderich asked gently, and Gilbert nodded. "So you don't have to feel guilty about it anymore."

Gilbert smiled. "Thanks, Roddy."

Roderich let out a soft sigh. "That aside; Gilbert, I think I should tell you that we're not okay yet."

The albino chuckled. "I know that."

"Elizaveta has gone on a 'vacation'." Roderich mused.

"At least she left this letter for you, otherwise you'd be freaking out by now."

"That's true."

"By the way, we have time to sort things out ourselves now." Gilbert said as he smiled at Roderich. "We won't be like we used to, but at least we're going to work things out, right?"

Roderich nodded. "That's a given."

The two lasped into silence, both of them lost in thought. Then Roderich spoke in the morning silence.

"I'm going to be a father." Roderich said in quiet wonder as he looked at Gilbert, "But will I see my children?"

"You will, Roderich," Gilbert said as he hugged the brunette gently, "You will."

* * *

**How did you guys find this chapter? Reviews, please!**

**I know this chapter is a bit shorter than the usual lengh, but please bear with this for now. **

**So Elizaveta has gone on a vacation, but will she be back? It seems Roderich has decided to work things out slowly, but will his parents allow it? **

**Till next time :)**


	10. The month

**And...here we are!**

**The tenth chapter of this story (which I thought would end at this chapter but apparently not.)**

**The reason it's titled "/The/ month" is because the 'The' is meant to be stressed. **

**School has started, so things are going to get slower, but I'm going to try and write the next chap as fast as I can. **

**I find that I have a lot of typos sometimes, so be kind and point them out if they're there!**

**I don't own Hetalia. Enjoy!**

* * *

_The_ month had approached.

Roderich felt like he was going insane as he stared at the blank TV screen in front of him. He could hear every tick of the clock, the sound of bubbling water from the kitchen, the slight hiss of the frying pan, and the mumbles of Feliciano and Lovino were magnified and rang in his head. Somewhere in the buzz Gilbert's words had been mashed up into incoherent sounds that cleared up when the albino put a firm hand on Roderich's shoulder.

"Chill out," Gilbert said in a low voice. "I know it's _the_ month, but don't freak out."

Roderich blinked before turning to look at Gilbert. "What did you say? 'Chill out'? '_Chill out'_? Gilbert, honestly, how am I supposed to 'chill out'?" He hissed as he jabbed a finger at Gilbert's shoulder, "What if Elizaveta's giving birth now? What if she's alone? Is there anyone to help her? What if—"

Gilbert grabbed both of Roderich's shoulders and shook him hard. "Roddy, just chi—_calm down_, we're here to relax and get together, not freak out over Elizaveta."

Roderich nodded numbly in response. After he read the letter at six in the morning he had ran over to see Feliks even though Elizaveta said not to. Naturally, he didn't get any answers and only terrified the pajama-clad blond with his hysterics. He couldn't stop worrying.

"Gil, is Roderich okay?" Antonio asked with concern as he set down trays of homemade pizza on the table in front of the pair.

"Yeah, he's just a bit nervous that's all." Gilbert replied as he elbowed Roderich subtly. Roderich offered a smile.

"Nervous?" Feliciano chirped as he set some bottles of wine and tall glasses beside the pizza, "Why would you be nervous?" He asked Roderich, who just shook his head.

"I'm alright…I'm alright…" Roderich said more to himself than to Feliciano. The Italian gave Gilbert a look before sauntering back to the kitchen.

"Look, everything's going to be fine— no news is good news, right?" Gilbert said soothingly, and Roderich nodded, even though he didn't feel assured.

Francis entered the kitchen and flopped down in one of the arm chairs, his blue eyes filling with worry when he noticed Roderich fidgeting. "What is wrong with you, _mon cher_? Are you not feeling well?"

"Geez, Roddy, will you please get a grip?" Gilbert whispered into Roderich's ear.

"Right, right…I'm sorry." Roderich mumbled as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and focused on the pizza in front of him. "These look wonderful; they smell good too."

Feliciano beamed as he came back with more bottles of wine in his hands. "_Fratello_ and I made a lot, just help yourself!"

Roderic nodded. "Good, good."

Beside him, Gilbert sighed. "Roddy, have a slice," the albino said as he grabbed the pizza cutter and cut a slice for the brunette. "Maybe food will take your mind off things."

Roderich looked at the mouth-watering pizza and took a bite, chewing slowly. He was still nervous, but like Gilbert said, no news is good news.

With Elizaveta gone, the two had stalled in their relationship. Roderich was too worried to think about anything else, but Gilbert was patient and spent some time with him every day to make sure he was on track. To take Roderich's mind off things, the albino would take him out for a drive and talk about trifle things. Once in a while, they would bring up Elizaveta and the children.  
-

"Do you think you'll have naming rights?" Gilbert once asked when the two were walking by the beach, watching as the bright orange sun slowly burned across the sky and began its journey of sinking into the sea.

A few seagulls swooped around in the air and a small group of children ran near the ocean, laughing as they splashed each other with water.

"I don't think so," Roderich said thoughtfully as he watched the parents following the children with gentle smiles on their faces, "but if they're girls, I'd like to name one Julie and the other one Anneliesse. I brought this up with Elizaveta once."

Gilbert chuckled. "Julchen and Ann…" His red eyes looked out at the sea and Roderich could see the beautiful sunset reflected within them. "I bet they'll be beautiful."

"Well, I hope they'll be girls because I don't want twin boys. " Roderich said as he rubbed his arms for warmth.

"Why not?" Gilbert asked as he draped his jacket over Roderich's shoulders.

"I just prefer girls better than boys." Roderich replied as he began heading back to his car. "Can you imagine taking care of two boys at once?"

Gilbert chuckled as he draped his jacket over Roderich. "Better cross your fingers and hope then."  
-

"Cheers to everyone who's here!" Feliciano cried as he raised his glass. Roderich looked around the room. It seemed to be a long time since he had hung out with his friends.

Francis had taken the armchair near the kitchen while Antonio and Lovino occupied one of the loveseats. Ludwig was on Roderich's right side and Feliciano was sidling beside him, intertwining their fingers. Ludwig blushed but didn't say anything.

Alfred and Arthur had burst in earlier, Alfred cheering about having finished his deadline for his new comic and Arthur muttering that the cheerful blond should work more than find time to annoy him.

"Dude, this is delicious!" Alfred yelled as he grabbed Feliciano's hand with a star-struck expression in his blue eyes, "You should come over to my house and cook for me!"

Arthur huffed and turned away from Alfred. "What, you aren't satisfied with my cooking?"

Alfred laughed as he wrapped his arms around his boyfriend. "You know I'm the only one who can eat those nuclear weapons," he said as he kissed Arthur on the cheek. The latter grumbled and picked up a slice of pizza, but his face brightened the moment he was chewing his first bite.

"This is delicious, Feliciano, you must tell me this recipe!" Arthur exclaimed.

"Of course! I'll write it down for you later!" Feliciano chirped in response, oblivious to the expression Francis, Antonio, Gilbert were making. Roderich furrowed his eyebrows. He couldn't remember the last time Arthur cooked, but he did remember the outcome.

"Do you remember what happened last time?" Antonio whispered to Gilbert, who chuckled.

"Damn right I do, he tried to cook instant noodles and ended up charring them black!" Gilbert whispered back, and the two began laughing.

Francis grinned. "Arthur, _mon ami_, I don't think you have what it takes to make this pizza."

Arthur glared at Francis. "I'll show you one day—you'll grovel at my perfection!"

Francis grinned. "And when will that be?"

"Why you—" Arthur jumped out of his seat and attacked Francis, trying to strangle him.

Roderich looked around, noticing someone was missing. "Where's Matthew?" He asked Alfred, who shrugged. Roderich sighed with disappointment, for he wanted to meet Matthew again. According to Gilbert, the blond had gone off on a one-man journey in Japan again and would be back soon, hopefully for the reunion.

"Oh _Mathieu, _Oh _Mathieu,_" Francis called out while he evaded Arthur's attack, "Where art thou?"

"Don't you dare mock Shakespeare!" Arthur growled as he made a move to grab Francis' tie and choke him to death. Thankfully he was pulled back by Alfred and landed on his lap.

"Relax Artie!" Alfred said as he wrapped two arms around Arthur's waist, making the latter blush. "Relax."

"That's what we all need to do," Gilbert said as he eyed Roderich, who shifted in his seat, "We need to relax."

"Well, I suppose I don't need to waste my energy on this frog," Arthur muttered, and Francis sat back on his seat with a woeful expression.

"I haven't seen _Mathieu_ in months…perhaps he has forgotten about me?" Francis said as he placed a hand on his chest in a dramatic way.

"You'd better give up— last time you tried to get into his pants you ended up drunk in a bar and I had to take you home," Gilbert chuckled.

"Looks like your seduction didn't work this time, Franny!" Antonio laughed as he draped an arm around Lovino's shoulders. The smaller man let out a grunt but didn't push Antonio's hand away.

"Oh, when will I ever see him again?" Francis sighed.

"Who knows?" Gilbert replied. "During our travels he sometimes disappears without a trace with a note saying that I could just move ahead, and then he pops out at our next destination."

"So, how are things going for all of you? I hope everyone is happy and eating pasta!" Feliciano chirped, and Lovino grunted.

"If everyone ate pasta as much as you do, they'd all have brains made out of noodles."

"_Fratello_, that's mean!" Feliciano whined, and Lovino shrugged.

"Now, now," Ludwig said as he patted the little Italian's head. "The pasta you make is delicious, and as you can see, I'm nowhere close to having a useless brain."

Feliciano beamed and Antonio laughed.

"Well, for me, the kids at the kindergarten are angels! One of them has a crush on Emma though," Antonio said with a thoughtful expression as he thought about the other kindergarten teacher. "I think his name is Peter."

Arthur groaned. "Will that boy ever learn?"

"Do you know him?" Antonio asked.

"Peter Kirkland? Eyebrows?" Arthur huffed as he pointed to his own. "I can't believe you didn't notice."

Antonio gaped. "You're related?"

"Please, who else who have those massive eyebrows?" Alfred laughed. "Peter is Artie's nephew. I'm glad Artie's sister didn't inherit those scary eyebrows."

Arthur elbowed Alfred harshly before letting out a sigh. "I really wish Matthew was here…then we could have a proper talk about discipline methods."

Roderich looked at Gilbert, whose face blanched. "Discipline methods? Did Mattie really talk to you about those?"

Arthur smiled. "They seem to be effective, but I think there's a need for something more extreme."

"What is it? what is it?" Antonio asked excitedly.

"I don't want to remember," Gilbert moaned as he covered his face. "The last time Mattie used this on me I ended up being his dog for a month without knowing it!"

Roderich let out a small laugh. He couldn't imagine Gilbert running errands without some kind of payment, and yet the albino had done so willingly for Matthew. Maybe he should ask the blond something about discipline methods too.

The party resumed, and for once Roderich was able to get his mind off things. He laughed loudly for the first time in six months and even cracked a couple of jokes.

An hour later everybody was full and began drinking wine and beer and talking about every day matters. Roderich was sure his face was slightly flushed. Somewhere in the middle of a mindless conversation with the others he noticed Ludwig stand up and leave the room. When he came back, Matthew was behind him, dragging his luggage along.

"MATTIE!" Alfred screamed as he bounced towards his brother and grabbed him in a bear-hug, "Why didn't you call before coming?"

Antonio looked around in confusion. "Did the doorbell ring?"

"It did," Lovino said as he rolled his eyes. "You would have heard it if you haven't been laughing your ass off."

"Matthew, you look like you've been running a marathon!" Feliciano said as he took Matthew's coat and hung it on the coat hanger.

"I just missed the bus but I didn't want to be late…I think I am though," Matthew replied breathlessly. "I brought souvenirs too," he added as he gestured to his luggage.

"I haven't heard from you in months," Gilbert said as he got up and hugged his friend. "Why didn't you e-mail me?"

"I just came back from Japan," Matthew said with a laugh before he turned to Alfred. "Guess what I have for you?"

"What is it what is it what is it?" Alfred said excitedly as he jiggled his knees, making Arthur groan and slide off him.

"Here!" Matthew said with a flourish as he presented a box to Alfred, who screamed like a fan girl who saw her favorite movie star across the street.

"Omigod, this is so awesome, Mattie, I love you!" Alfred yelled as he wrapped his arms around his brother and showered him with kisses.

"Really…a gaming console?" Arthur muttered as he peered at the box. "There're games too…" He added with a sigh when he fished through the plastic bag that came along with it. "Alfred is going to be all over these games and neglect his work."

Matthew gently pushed his brother away and smiled. "Well, he gets his inspiration from these."

"Ah, _mon amour_," Francis whispered as he grabbed Matthew from behind purred into his neck, "I've missed you so."

Gilbert rolled his eyes and Roderich held back a laugh. Matthew gently eased himself away from Francis and turned around to face him. "_Quand je ferme les yeux, je rêve de toi_." He said with a smile as he slid a hand on Francis' arm.

"_Je veux te faire l'amour,_" Francis whispered, and Matthew smiled coyly as he pulled away from Francis. Roderich blinked when he saw Francis' blue eyes turn dark. He had never seen that expression on Francis' face before.

Gilbert cleared his throat. "We're getting sidetracked here,"

"Ah, I am just spreading love!" Francis exclaimed, his eyes back to their usual blueness, and Matthew giggled as he sat down beside Alfred.

"Mattie, did you do anything cool?" Alfred said as he grabbed a slice of pizza for his brother. "Like, did you go to comic-cons or something?"

"I didn't go to comic-cons, but I did go to seiyuu events."

Alfred's eyes lit up. "Awesome! Did you meet anybody famous?"

"Now, Alfred, maybe we should talk about something everybody knows." Arthur said tersely as he handed Alfred a coke to shut him up.

"Well," Matthew said as he tilted his head, "Just now a woman at the bus stop thought I was Alfred and wanted to beat me up."

"What? Really?" Alfred said nervously. "I don't remember upsetting any women, are you sure she wants to beat me up?"

"I got away because I spoke Russian to her and she realized my eyes are lavender instead of blue." Matthew said with a sigh as he looked at his brother.

"I really don't remember getting any women angry!" Alfred exclaimed, and Arthur shook his head.

"You get women angry all the time with your insensitivity."

"What else did you learn about her?" Antonio asked, and Matthew chewed on his pizza thoughtfully before continuing.

"She told me she just came back from a trip with a friend, and then she mentioned something about her friend staying at the hospital right now."

"Is her friend sick?" Feliciano asked worriedly as he handed Ludwig a cold beer.

"Something along the lines of that, she didn't want to talk too much about her friend."

"We talked a bit more after that," Matthew said with a smile, "we talked about love."

"_Amour_?" Francis said as he leaned forward, his blue eyes looking into Matthew's lavender, "What did you talk about?"

"It's private," Matthew said with a wink.

"What did she look like?" Antonio asked excitedly, "Is she pretty?"

"Hmm….she had platinum blond hair…dark blue eyes…" Matthew said as he began to recall the woman from the bar. "And she was wearing this dress her brother gave to her. Oh. Her name is Natalia."

Platinum blond hair? Dark blue eyes? Roderich's ears perked up at the description. Natalia fitted it perfectly, but there was no reason the head of the Belarusian Mafia would be at a bus stop in town…was there?

"What?" Antonio coughed on his drink while the others in the room just stared at Matthew. "You talked to Natalia Arlovskaya?"

"Now, now, we don't know for sure if she is the Natalia we know," Francis said with an uncertain smile.

"Your face doesn't seem very convincing," Lovino said with a snort.

Matthew blinked in confusion as he looked at his friends. "Is there something scary about this Natalia Arlovskaya? She seems to be a nice person."

"Did she talk about Ivan? Her brother?" Antonio asked, and Matthew shook his head.

"I don't remember an Ivan being brought up in our conversation… she only talked about her longing for something she can't have."

At that moment Roderich knew for sure Matthew had met _the_ Natalia. Their talk from years ago popped into Roderich's mind.

"_**We are two of a kind, Edelstein, we are both longing for something we cannot have."**_

"Did she say where she's staying?" Roderich asked.

"She mentioned that she was going home because her sister is worried about her." Matthew said as he tilted his head before looking at the others. "Do you all know her?"

"I don't," Ludwig said, "But they do."

"I don't either…I only know the name." Gilbert said with a shrug. "Franny here tells me that she's one hell of a scary woman."

Suddenly Roderich's phone rang and he picked it up. "Hello?"

"_Roderich Edelstein, come to the city hospital right now like your life depends on it. If you don't come here within twenty minutes I will personally hunt you down and torture you to death, and I mean it."_

In the background Roderich heard a scream and his eyes grew wide in horror as the call was cut off abruptly. What did that scream mean? Was it Elizaveta? It sounded like her. Who was it that called? Roderich racked his head for candidates and his frustration began to show.

"Uh...Roddy? You're jiggling your leg." Gilbert commented, and at the same time everything snapped into place. Roderich looked at Gilbert, who recoiled from his wild look.

"Natalia Arlovkaya!" Roderich cried as he stood up and let the pizza on his lap fall to the floor with a splat. "Gilbert, the hospital, I'm going to the hospital!" Roderich managed as he grabbed his coat and nearly slipped on the polished floor in his haste. The scream had belonged to Elizaveta, and that meant one thing. She was in labor.

"What? Huh? Roddy, Roddy, hey wait!" Roderich heard Gilbert yell, but he was already out the door and running to his car.

"…what just happened?" Antonio asked, and the others just shook their heads.

* * *

"Roddy, wait!" Gilbert yelled as he grabbed the handle of the door to the passenger seat before Roderich could drive off. "Get out of that driver's seat, right now."

"Why?" Roderich asked, but the albino just unbuckled his seat-belt and pulled him over to the passenger side.

"I'm driving. You're not fit to drive in your condition." Gilbert said simply as slid into the driver's seat and shut the door. "Why are you in such a hurry? Did you get _the_ call?"

Roderich shook his head. "I don't know if it's _the_ call, but Natalia Arlovskaya called me and told me to go to the hospital in twenty minutes. There was screaming in the background too."

"Screaming? That sounds bad. It'll take some racing to get there in time," Gilbert grinned, and the car sped out of the parking lot and down the street.

"We're in a hurry, but can't you drive slower?" Roderich cried as he gripped the side of the door in fear for his life. "You're hitting a hundred miles an hour!"

"We don't want to be late, do we?" Gilbert replied as the tires screeched on the asphalt.

* * *

Ten minutes later the two were trying to walk as slow as they could in the hospital due to their dizziness.

"Next time, I'm driving." Roderich muttered as he grabbed Gilbert's arm to steady himself.

"Is there going to be a next time?" Gilbert asked as he stopped for a second to let Roderich catch his breath.

Roderich blinked. "I don't know."

The click of boots made both of them turn around and Roderich paled.

"You're here early aren't you, Mr. Edelstein." Natalia said as she placed a hand on her hip, her blue eyes piercing through Roderich.

"Uh, yes…uh—"

"Your wife is in labor." Natalia said simply as she turned and began to walk down the hall, Roderich and Gilbert scrambling to follow her.

"She's in labor?" Roderich asked stupidly. "How did you…?"

"I met Elizaveta in Greece," Natalia said curtly.

"So she went to Greece?"

Natalia turned around. "I am disappointed in you, Mr. Edelstein. Your wife is with child and you just left her alone."

"Hey, Roddy didn't leave her alone, she went off by herself!"

Natalia glared at Gilbert, and a chill ran down Roderich's spine. Gilbert had no idea how scary Natalia was at all. "You have no right to say anything."

To Roderich's amazement Gilbert didn't seemed to be fazed at all. "I just wanted to get the facts right," He said with a shrug.

"I know the facts well enough." Natalia replied as she sat down on a row of seats.

The two men stood in the hallway, unsure of what to do, and Natalia raised an eyebrow. "Why are you clutching his arm?" She asked Roderich, who immediately let go of Gilbert's arm and wiped his hand on his pants.

"Hey, that hurts," Gilbert whined.

"Shut up," Roderich replied.

Natalia smiled. "I see…is he your—"

A deafening scream cut off Natalia's sentence, and the three jumped a bit.

"I SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN A C-SECTION…." Elizaveta groaned loudly in a hysterical fashion. "YOU SHOULD HAVE STOPPED ME WHEN I DIDN'T WANT ONE…"

Roderich looked at Gilbert, who shifted uneasily from foot to foot, before glancing at Natalia. She was sitting on the bench with her back straight and concern written all over her face. Roderich gulped and began pacing outside the room.

"OH, OH—BREATHE? HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BREATHE? IN? OUT? IN? WHAT? OH…OH NO…NATALIA, NATALIA, ARE YOU OUT THERE?"

"Yes I am, Elizaveta," Natalia said calmly.

"GO BRING OUT YOUR MEN AND TELL THEM TO SHOOT RODERICH AND GILBERT TO DEATH!"

"Elizaveta," Natalia said as she cast a glance at Roderich and Gilbert, "If I did so, your children will have no father."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY? WHO CARES ABOUT FATHERS ANYWAYS, THEY'RE JUST DOUCHBAGS! LIKE MINE—I'M SORRY DAD, I DIDN'T MEAN THAT—OH…FUCK!"

"Uh…I think I'm going to go get some drinks…anyone want some?" Gilbert asked as he began inching away from the room.

"Don't you dare leave," Natalia said as she moved hand to her dress, lifting it to reveal a dagger hilt.

"_Mein gott!_ Are those even allowed in hospitals?"

"I am part of the Mafia…Gilbert Beilschmidt."

"That doesn't mean you can bring weapons inside the hospital! And how do you know my name?"

"It means I can stop you from leaving this hall. I know your name because Elizaveta has complained about you more than once and gave me a photo of you to hunt you down."

"I get it, I get it—"

"NATALIA, NATALIA, GET IN HERE RIGHT NOW!"

"Elizaveta—"

"HUH? WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE CAN'T COME IN? WHERE'S MORAL SUPPORT WHEN YOU NEED IT—ARGH…"

Roderich began biting his thumb nail. Gilbert grabbed his hand and pulled him down to sit beside him. "Roddy, I know what I'm going to say is futile, but please, _chill_."

"She's giving birth right now, how can I _chill_?" Roderich cried.

"Mr. Edelstein has a point." Natalia said as she sat down across the two.

"…why don't you tell us how you met Elizaveta?" Gilbert suggested, and Natalia's eyes narrowed before she sighed.

"I told you, I met her in Greece."

"Oh, right…." Gilbert scratched his head. Elizaveta screamed again.

Roderich jumped in his seat. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

The nurse looked at Roderich and Gilbert when the two arrived at the nursery to see the babies. "May I ask who the father is?"

"Of course it's me!" Roderich exclaimed as he looked at the nurse. "Are you on some kind of medication?"

Gilbert snorted. "You could just say she's on crack."

The nurse looked between them, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "One of the children has white hair and the other has brown."

Roderich's eyes widened. "What the—" He dashed and stared at the row of babies. Sure enough, there was a baby with white hair. The front of her crib was labeled with 'Julie'. The baby beside her was a brunette and the front of her crib was labeled with 'Annaliesse'.

"She remembered…" Roderich whispered as he stared at the two beautiful babies, forgetting his momentary shock.

"Whoa," Gilbert grinned. "That kid looks just like me!"

"This must be a joke…" Roderich muttered as he put his forehead against the glass.

"You know, I think it's because you swallowed my—" Roderich slapped his hand over Gilbert's mouth before he could continue. Natalia raised an eyebrow but didn't comment.

"Shut up right now or I swear I will get you castrated," Roderich hissed before he turned back to the nursery. "I can't believe this…my child has albinism!"

"Hey, it's not like it's a bad thing," Gilbert muttered.

"It's like the gods are favoring you!" Roderich groaned as Natalia disappeared into Elizaveta's room.

"Well, well," Gilbert said as he stared at Julie, "Say hi to awesome Uncle Gilbert."

Roderich smiled as he watched Gilbert tickle the glass, his usual burning red eyes mellowing into a soft candy apple red. He wondered what would happen if he let Gilbert take care of his children some times and held back a chuckle. It would be a disaster if the children picked up on his extreme narcissism.

Natalia stepped out. "Elizaveta wants to see you, Roderich."

"Hello," Elizaveta said from her bed. Her hair was tied up into a ponytail and she looked tired. Roderich slapped himself mentally. Of course she was tired.

"You remembered…" Roderich said quietly. "That I wanted to name the children Julie and Annaliesse."

Elizaveta smiled at him. "Why would I forget? They are our children after all." She opened her mouth to continue but Roderich held up a hand.

"First of all, Elizaveta," He said as he walked over to the bed and knelt by the bed to take Elizaveta's hand in his, "I want to thank you for giving birth to Julie and Annaliesse. It means a lot to me."

Elizaveta's green eyes widened in surprise and she let out a small laugh. "It was nothing. Of course there were times I doubted, but I'm glad I gave birth to them."

Roderich stood up and sat down on the chair in the room, thinking about what to say next. Even though the children were born, it didn't mean his problems would automatically be solved.

"What are we going to do?" He asked Elizaveta gently.

There was a small pause before Elizaveta spoke. "I am not going to divorce you, and I want to have custody over our two children."

Roderich felt his heart sink. He didn't mind still being married to her, but he wanted custody over one of his children, if not two, in case things played out in the worst way.

"Elizaveta, can't we have split custody?" Roderich asked. Elizaveta having full custody over the children made things hard for Roderich. If she ever changed her mind and decided to get a divorce and move away, he might not be able to see his children at all.

Elizaveta looked at Roderich, contemplation in her green eyes. She frowned. "If we're going to have split custody, I'm taking Annaliesse."

Roderich blinked. "What? Are you…are you rejecting Julie because she has albinism like Gilbert?" He asked incredulously.

Elizaveta looked away from him. "…then we can opt for shared custody then. Julie and Annaliesse can spend equal time with us separately."

"Why can't we try to act normal for the sake of the children?" Roderich tried, and Elizaveta frowned.

"Roderich, do you have the confidence to act normal in front of the children? How are you going to introduce Gilbert?"

"…"

"Even if we act normal on the outside and tell the children the truth, they might not understand— and what if they tell their teachers or other children that our marriage wasn't even consummated and you love Gilbert? We'd be ruined!"

Roderich clenched his fists. "Elizaveta, what do you want?"

His wife looked at him. "Either you break up with Gilbert, or we're going to go by shared custody and live separately."

Roderich held back an angry sigh. "Why are you still acting this way? What was that letter for?"

Elizaveta looked at her lap. "That letter was to explain everything to you. It doesn't mean that I'm backing out." She raised her green eyes to meet his violet ones. "Why can't you be with me? What can Gilbert give you?"

Roderich didn't know what to answer. Sure, it didn't make sense to tear his new family apart because of Gilbert. But without the albino Roderich felt empty and lifeless. Only Gilbert's red eyes and burning touch could breathe life into him.

He didn't say anything and left the room.

"I'm going home," Roderich announced to no one in particular before walking down the hall. He heard Natalia's boots click as she walked into the room while Gilbert followed him.

"Roddy, wait!" Gilbert said as he caught up. "What happened?"

"I would rather not want to talk about it now."

The two headed to the car and Roderich entered the passenger seat in silence.

"You don't want to drive?" Gilbert asked.

"Yes, I don't want to drive." Roderich replied glumly. "Just drive normally."

Gilbert started the engine and the car revved to life. "Where to? Your apartment?"

Roderich nodded before he slumped in his seat. The children were born, but everything was far from over.

* * *

Gilbert watched Roderich flop onto his violet arm chair and prop his legs up. He didn't know what to say, so he offered a weak "Congratulations."

Roderich chuckled. "Thank you."

"So…what did Elizaveta want?" Gilbert asked as he walked over to Roderich and removed his glasses. For once, the brunette didn't complain. Gilbert set the glasses down on the table and moved to stand behind Roderich, who tilted his head to look at him.

"I'm going to give you a facial massage." Gilbert explained, and Roderich smiled.

"It seems like Matthew has taught you some tricks."

"Yeah. He's kinda like a mentor in massaging." Gilbert replied as he began the massage.

The two fell silent for a moment, Roderich leaning in his chair and enjoying the massage while Gilbert contemplated on the situation. Elizaveta gave birth to two children, which brought a whole new aspect to the marriage.

Roderich spoke up, breaking the silence. "She wants custody of the children."

Gilbert stopped his movements. "Don't tell me you're going to have a custody battle?"

"I don't want things to go that way." Roderich sighed as he undid the first few buttons of his shirt. "I told her that we could have split custody and she wanted Annaliesse."

Gilbert moved to face Roderich and sat on the table. "She hates Julchen?" He asked incredulously, and Roderich chuckled at Gilbert's endearment.

"Julie looks like you…so I guess it's natural that she wouldn't want to spend time with her. But really, what are the odds of having a child with albinism?"

"I don't know," Gilbert said thoughtfully. "Probably five people in a hundred thousand?"

"You know, it's either we break up or I have to share custody and live separately from her." Roderich said softly.

"I see the living separately apart, but you just said you guys were having split custody?" Gilbert asked as he reached for Roderich's hand and held it.

Roderich chuckled wearily again. "It seems Elizaveta didn't want to appear too cruel, so she opted for shared custody."

"Oh…I see." Gilbert looked into the brunette's eyes, nervous but ready to respect any decision the brunette made. "What do you think?"

Roderich shook his head and reached out a hand to touch Gilbert's cheek. "If I could, I would let you go."

Gilbert sighed in relief and Roderich smiled softly.

"Though we can never go back to the way we were, I would like to stay by your side." He said quietly, and Gilbert smiled as the brunette squeezed his hand gently.

"Can I kiss you?" Gilbert asked quietly, and Roderich nodded. Gilbert stood up and pressed a kiss on the brunette's lips. It was soft, gentle, and different from any of the other kisses they shared in the past.

Roderich smiled. "Thank you, Gilbert," he murmured when they parted.

"Well!" Gilbert said as he straightened up, a bit embarrassed by the sweet intimacy they shared, "I think I should go back."

"You're not staying for the night?" Roderich asked. Gilbert looked at him, surprised, and the brunette blushed. "I didn't mean…I meant a normal sleepover."

Gilbert grinned. "I guess I could stay— let me go over to my brother's house for a bit. I'll be back later."

Roderich nodded. "You'd better bring some dinner with you because I'm not a good cook like Feliciano."

"Gotcha." Gilbert grinned before he headed out the door and down the elevator. However, his grin faded when he reached the bottom floor. Roderich had children now, and that was something Gilbert could never have: children of his own.

Julie and Annaliesse deserved better, especially Julie, who'd already been rejected by her mother because of her condition. Maybe everything really was his fault. If he hadn't appeared, none of this would have happened. But then, even if he hadn't appeared, Roderich still wouldn't love Elizaveta. Roderich only held brotherly feelings towards his wife, and it would never become the love she wanted. Roderich had told him that once when they were drunk. Gilbert didn't know if the brunette meant it.

Gilbert sighed as he headed out of the building. Leave it to Roderich and Elizaveta to figure it out, but whatever he said, everything still tied back to him.  
-

"_Bruder,_ where have you been?" Ludwig asked the moment Gilbert stepped through the door.

"Well…stuff happened and I'm sorry I haven't called…" Gilbert muttered as he tried to step past his brother and go up the stairs for his duffel bag and clothes. "Did Feli make dinner already? Can I take some to Roddy?"

"Not until you explain everything," Ludwig said firmly as he stood between the stairs and Gilbert. "You two just left without an explanation or a call back."

Gilbert sighed. He didn't want his brother to know too much, but at this point it was inevitable. "Elizaveta gave birth."

Ludwig stared blankly at his brother. "…so Roderich's a father? Why didn't I hear of Elizaveta being pregnant before? Does everyone know?"

"She kind of ran off after announcing her pregnancy, so Roddy and I kept silent about it—and there's no need to talk about that." Gilbert said as he shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. The way Ludwig was talking to him was like a father reprimanding his son.

Ludwig grabbed his brother's shoulders and looked at him. "_Bruder_, you should stop seeing Roderich. I know you like him, but this isn't working anymore—he's a father now—"

Gilbert's mouth dropped open in shock before he twisted his lips into a frown, his brows furrowing and his red eyes glaring. "What did you say?"

"I know that you like Roderich very much, but what are his children going to think?"

Gilbert slapped his brother's hands away, feeling hurt and disappointed. "Lud, I didn't think you'd be one to tell me to stop pursuing someone I _love_," he growled, "What would you feel if I told you to break up with Feli?"

Ludwig bit his lower lip. "I'm sorry, _bruder_, I just—"

"Lud, just shut it." Gilbert said as he shoved past his brother and headed upstairs, leaving Ludwig at the bottom of the staircase.  
-

Gilbert headed to Roderich's apartment on his motorbike. He managed to snag some side dishes from the fridge and asked Feliciano to make pasta, which was now snug in a container in Gilbert's backpack. He parked in visitor parking and buzzed Roderich.

"_Gilbert?"_

"Yeah, it's me."

"_Come on in."_

Gilbert frowned as he entered the building. There was something wrong with Roderich's voice—it sounded a bit tight and bitter, as if he was with someone he didn't like. Gilbert knocked on Roderich's door and after a few minutes Roderich answered the door with a grim expression.

"My parents are here," He said in a low voice. Gilbert headed to the kitchen and set his things down before taking a peek in the living room. Sure enough, the Edelstein parents were sitting on the sofa. Mrs. Edelstein saw him and smiled uncertainly.

"Should I come back later?" Gilbert whispered, and Roderich shook his head.

"Just stay here." Roderich said before he walked back to the living room and faced his parents.

"Who's that?" Mr. Edelstein asked and Gilbert rolled his eyes. The tone of his voice was suspicious and surprised, as if he suddenly saw someone he didn't know his son was acquainted with.

"Gilbert Beilschmidt; it's been quite a long time since you've seen him. Frederich Williams taught him to play the violin." Roderich said calmly, and Gilbert held back a sigh. The last time he saw his old man Fritz was when he and Matthew coincidentally met him on the streets of Vienna.

"I see. What is he doing here?" Gilbert rolled his eyes again. This time the tone sounded almost accusing. From what Gilbert knew Roderich never allowed anybody in his apartment, even his parents, and Elizaveta had only come twice.

Gilbert heard Roderich shift in his seat, probably crossing his legs. "He's my friend, is there something wrong with a friend visiting?"

Mr. Edelstein cleared his throat. "Well. Anyways, you know why we're here, right?"

"No, I don't." Roderich replied, though Gilbert was sure he knew why.

"We're here because Elizaveta gave birth—why weren't we informed of this?"

Gilbert heard Roderich sigh impatiently. "There was no need to."

"What do you mean there was no need to—those children are my granddaughters!" Mr. Edelstein said loudly, and Gilbert tensed up, edging closer to the door.

"Now, now," Mrs. Edelstein said soothingly. "I'm sure Roderich has his own reasons."

"I am your son," Roderich said firmly, "But I believe we've agreed to the fact that I don't have any obligation towards the family anymore."

"Why you—"

"—who got us broke?" Roderich interrupted coldly, "and who earned all the money back so you two can continue on with your lives as if nothing happened?"

The parents didn't say anything.

"I told you two long ago that I don't have any obligation to you—and that involves the children. I only agreed to have children because Elizaveta's parents wanted grandchildren."

"Well, at any rate, I'm glad you two have children now. There were rumors about your marriage not being consummated." Gilbert heard the sound of the sofa creaking as someone, presumably Mr. Edelstein, shifted his weight.

There was a slight pause and Gilbert began to feel cold sweat form on his forehead. The marriage had never been consummated, but the parents didn't need to know that, did they?

"It never was." Roderich said. Gilbert risked a peek outside and saw Mr. Edelstein's face turn white.

"W-what do you mean?" The older man sputtered, and Roderich smiled, almost cruelly, and repeated his words in a clearer manner.

"Our marriage was never consummated."

The Edelstein parents paled and then Mr. Edelstein's face turned an angry red. "What do you mean it wasn't consummated? How else are you supposed to have a child?"

Roderich eyed his parents and spit out three letters. "IVF."

Mrs. Edelstein gasped. "An IVF?"

"What do you mean an IVF!" Mr. Edelstein roared as he shook his wife's restraining arm off. "You are a perfectly healthy man and she is a perfectly healthy woman! What is _wrong _with you?"

Roderich stopped smiling. His violet eyes looked down for a second before looking at his parents again. "What's wrong with me, you ask? I'll tell you what's 'wrong' with me. I'm gay. I've been gay since high school."

Gilbert froze. He wasn't supposed to be here listening to this badly timed coming out. This should have been private, or at least he should have been sitting beside Roderich and holding his hand. Roderich caught sight of him and mouthed a silent "stay there."

A splash of water made Gilbert's heart freeze. Roderich's father had thrown water at his face, and the clear liquid was now dripping off Roderich's hair, cheeks, and chin. The brunette smoothed his hair from his face and looked at his trembling father, his violet eyes calm and steady.

"Is it him? _Gilbert_ _Beilschmidt_?" Mr. Edelstein spat out, his tone hostile and pronouncing Gilbert's name with so much venom the albino wondered what he had done wrong.

"You are free to think whatever you want to." Roderich said simply, and Gilbert ducked back into the kitchen when Mr. Edelstein sent a glare his way.

"How could you?" Mrs. Edelstein said. "How could you do this to Elizaveta?"

"This matter is known between us." Roderich said calmly.

"She knows?" Mr. Edelstein shouted, panic seeping into his voice. "What about her parents?"

"They are unsuspecting."

"You'd better straighten yourself up and do it fast!" Mr. Edelstein snapped, and Roderich let out a mirthless laugh.

"I'm gay, and there no way I can 'straighten' myself." Roderich said. "I've accepted it, and so should you."

"There is no way I'm accepting my son is a gay!" Mr. Edelstein yelled.

"Then should we cut all ties?" Gilbert peeked out to see the parents blanch at Roderich's suggestion. "I won't need to support you in any way shape or form, and you will no longer be my children's legal grandparents."

"Oh, Roderich, don't do this…" Mrs. Edelstein said as she clutched Roderich's arm.

"Father. Make all the assumptions you want, but do not forget you are indebted to me." Roderich gently eased off his mother's arm. "Mother. I love you, but you have to accept me for who I am. Now please go."

Gilbert pulled out his headphones and began to pretend he was listening to music when the Edelstein parents walked past the kitchen. Mr. Edelstein gave him a glare, but Gilbert pretended he hadn't noticed. When Roderich closed the door, Gilbert threw off his head phones and grabbed Roderich by both shoulders.

Crimson eyes looked into violet, and Gilbert gave Roderich a hug. Roderich let out a feeble laugh before he began sniffling. It wasn't before long that Roderich was crying his heart out, his hands grabbing Gilbert's back as he clung on for support and his tears staining Gilbert's jacket wet.

"It's going to be okay," Gilbert said as he held Roderich tightly and rocked him back and forth gently. "It's going to be okay."

* * *

**Now. I have no idea about French, so I used google translate and stuff like that, so I don't know if the French is what I intend it to mean.**

_Quand je ferme les yeux, je rêve de toi- When I close my eyes I dream of you._  
_Je veux te faire l'amour- I want to make love to you._

**Please point this out if it's incorrect. **

**Again, the chapter ends with our dear Gilbert reassuring Roderich. **

**What will happen in the next chapter? I don't know. Really. I think I'm running out of ideas. **

**Review please! Maybe it'll help :)**


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